Government X account suspended after ‘violating rules’

Government’s X account (formally Twitter) @RSA_JCPS, South African Justice, Crime Prevention & Security”, has been suspended.

Trying to access the X account showed “account suspended.”

“X suspends an account that violates our rules,” the post said.

Suspension

It is believed that the @RSA_JCPS account was suspended after the government posted a press release about an investigation into an influential, right-wing X account that has been posting racist tropes that have reinforced misinformation about the country.

The press release said it had taken note of the reports claiming to have uncovered the identity of a 46-year-old former farmer behind the social media account “Boer” (@twatterbaas) on X. The account is accused of spreading racist views, hate speech and false information.

The account is thought to have influenced US President Donald Trump and his South African-born billionaire donor, Elon Musk.

ALSO READ: Racist misinformation spread by Twatterbaas about SA condemned

‘Racism’

Acting Government Communication and Information Systems spokesperson Terry Vandayar said they have taken note of the reports about “Boer”.

“Appreciating that law enforcement agencies are continuing to investigate incidents of misinformation, the government strongly condemns deliberate acts of misinformation and promotion of racial hatred.

The Citizen contacted the Government Communication Information System (GCIS) for comment, which will be included in the story once it is received.

AfriForum

On Thursday, AfriForum’s CEO shared his sentiments about the account being suspended.

The @Government ZA  X account, titled “South African Justice, Crime Prevention & Security”, has been suspended for violating the platform’s rules. This follows the South African government’s use of the account to threaten an X user, who had criticised the government, with criminal charges.

“While the government may get away with such threats against its opponents within South Africa, the international community, and Elon Musk’s X platform, frowns upon these oppressive tactics. This comes as the South African government appears to be continuing its investigation of high treason against Afriforum for engaging with Donald Trump’s administration in the US,” Kriel posted on X.

ALSO READ: Ramaphosa to meet Trump face-to-face to resolve diplomatic fallout

It was News24 which unmasked the “Boer” account, which prompted Kriel to ask: “I wonder if @News24 ’s X account might also be in violation of the platform’s rules?”

The @GovernmentZA X account, titled “South African Justice, Crime Prevention & Security”, has been suspended for violating the platform’s rules. This follows the South African government’s use of the account to threaten an X user, who had criticized the government, with criminal… pic.twitter.com/LNx5RAL8BD

— Kallie Kriel (@kalliekriel) April 30, 2025

Meeting Trump administration

In February, Afrikaner lobby groups Solidarity and AfriForum handed over the “Washington Memorandum”, asking the United States to provide humanitarian assistance for Afrikaner development.

The organisations under the Solidarity Movement claimed to have met with senior representatives of the Donald Trump administration at the White House.

While Trump has halted funding to South Africa by signing an executive order against the country, alleging human rights issues in response to the government’s land policy, the Solidarity Movement wants the US to provide aid to a development fund to assist with community infrastructure protecting Afrikaners.

Their visit has raised eyebrows, with the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation, also known as the Hawks, confirming that it was investigating four case dockets of high treason linked to claims of a white genocide against farmers in the country.

Treason

While Hawks boss General Godfrey Lebeya did not disclose the names of the organisations being investigated, it is believed they include Solidarity and AfriForum.

This follows uMkhonto weSizwe (MK) party recently laying criminal charges of treason against AfriForum, accusing the lobby group of economic sabotage.

Why X suspends accounts?

According to X, it suspends accounts if they are “spammy, or just plain fake, and they introduce security risks for X and for everyone using X”.

“If we suspect an account has been hacked or compromised, we may suspend it until it can be secured and restored to the account owner in order to reduce potentially malicious activity caused by the compromise.

“We may suspend an account if it has been reported to us as violating our X Rules surrounding abuse. When an account engages in abusive behaviour, like sending threats to others or impersonating other accounts, we may suspend it temporarily or, in some cases, permanently,” the rules state.

ALSO READ: Musk takes fresh ‘genocide’ swipe at Malema

Trump takes aim at SA

Since the start of his second term, Trump has singled South Africa out for criticism. The US president cut financial aid to South Africa, citing the country taking Israel to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and “strengthening ties with Iran, which supports terrorism globally”.

Trump said “terrible things” were happening in the country after the passing of the Expropriation Act, which he believes is pushing Afrikaans farmers out of the country.

The US president has since offered them refuge in his country with an expedited pathway to US citizenship.

Farmers

According to Trump, “any farmer” who is “seeking to flee South Africa for reasons of safety” can now apply to become a US citizen, rather than a refugee.

In March, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s national security adviser Dr Sydney Mufamadi said AfriForum and trade union Solidarity went to the United States to “gossip about their own country”.

Asked if South Africa’s democratisation and nation-building project is being put “at risk” by AfriForum and Solidarity’s visits to Washington, Mufamadi said the organisations did not go to the US for “shopping.”