TikTok User Accused of False Racism Allegations Makes Initial Court Appearance
Johannesburg – TikTok user Njabulo Madlanga appeared for the first time at the Booysens Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg today, facing charges of crimen injuria and violations of the Cyber Crimes Act for allegedly making false and defamatory claims of racism.
The AfriForum Private Prosecution Unit is representing the complainants—Reece Lopes, Milan Kruijer, and Jude Fraser-Grant—who were targeted on social media after Madlanga accused them of racism in various viral TikTok posts.
In these posts, Madlanga alleged that while she and her siblings were waiting in line at Gold Reef City, the trio directed monkey sounds at them. The three have denied ever making such noises.
In October 2023, the Private Prosecution Unit successfully secured a protection order against Madlanga, prohibiting her from further harassment or soliciting others to harass the complainants.
The unit has previously stressed that false accusations of racism should be treated with the same seriousness as legitimate claims of discrimination.
Madlanga has not disputed her posts or her accusations against the trio.
During the protection order hearing, she defended her posts and allegations as “her truth.”
Although she recorded videos of the three individuals in the queue, she failed to provide any evidence to support her allegations of racism during the hearing.
Madlanga’s court appearance comes in the wake of the announcement that the unit is assisting Jaco Pieterse, the principal of Bergview College, in pursuing criminal charges against several prominent individuals for falsely accusing him in a child rape investigation.
Commenting on the situation on Wednesday (7 May 2025), Barry Bateman, spokesperson for AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, remarked that being falsely accused of a crime can be devastating for the victim.
“Often, individuals misuse social media to make unverified accusations, fully aware that their claims will be readily accepted as fact,” Bateman stated.
“This elevates such individuals to the roles of judge, jury, and executioner in their cases.”
Bateman continued: “Justice cannot flourish in an environment where individuals prioritize clicks and likes over truth.
“Both this case and the Bergview College issue should demonstrate that making false allegations has serious consequences.
“Courts must send a clear message that falsely accusing someone on social media of a crime they did not commit will not be tolerated, and those making such accusations will be held accountable.”
The matter has been adjourned until 7 July 2025 for the defense to receive the docket and for a trial date to be set.
RELATED: Court Rejects Racism Claim Made by TikTok User Njabulo Madlanga Against 3 Young Men – The Bulrushes
Background
The ordeal began on 6 July 2023 when the trio was enjoying a day at Gold Reef City theme park.
While waiting in line for a ride, a different group of people pushed ahead.
At that moment, Madlanga, who was also in the queue, claimed that the trio made monkey sounds.
She took to TikTok, telling her followers: “Let me tell you something, we’re in this line, at this place, Gold Reef, people will make sound effects if you are black, I’m just saying, monkey sound effects, you should know that.”
In another TikTok post, acting on her followers’ requests to identify the alleged racists, Madlanga shared a video of the three individuals waiting in line.
Lopes, Kruijer, and Fraser-Grant were soon identified by her followers and became targets of a severe online campaign.
According to Bateman, the video has gained over two million views.
On 9 July, Kruijer messaged Madlanga to deny the accusations, asserting that he and his friends had not made any noises and were not racist.
He warned her that failure to remove the posts would lead to a criminal complaint.
Instead of taking down the posts, Madlanga shared a screenshot of Kruijer’s message, claiming she was being intimidated.
This post sparked further attacks against the three friends.