Johannesburg – TikTok user Njabulo Madlanga made her first appearance at the Booysens Magistrate’s Court in Johannesburg today, facing charges of crimen injuria and breaching 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 multiple viral TikTok posts.

In these posts, Madlanga alleged that while she and her siblings were waiting in a queue at Gold Reef City, the trio directed monkey sounds at them. The trio denied ever making such noises.

In October 2023, the Private Prosecution Unit successfully secured a protection order against Madlanga, preventing her from further harassment or from encouraging others to harass the complainants.

The unit has previously highlighted that false accusations of racism should be regarded with the same seriousness as authentic allegations of discrimination.

Madlanga has not denied publishing the posts or accusing the trio of racism.

During the protection order hearing, she defended her posts and allegations as “her truth.”

Despite having recorded videos of the three individuals in the queue, she was unable to provide any evidence to substantiate her claims of racism during the hearing.

Madlanga’s court appearance comes after the unit announced its support for 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 exploit social media to make unverified accusations, fully aware that their claims will be readily embraced as fact,” Bateman noted.

“This elevates such individuals to the roles of judge, jury, and executioner in their narratives.”

Bateman continued: “Justice cannot flourish in an environment where people prioritize clicks and likes over the truth.

“Both this case and the Bergview College matter 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 who make such claims will be held accountable.”

The matter has been postponed until 7 July 2025 for the defense to receive the case docket and to set a trial date.

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, stating to 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, just know that.”

In another TikTok post, responding to 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 recognized by her followers and became targets of an intense online campaign.

According to Bateman, the video has amassed over two million views.

On 9 July, Kruijer messaged Madlanga to dispute the allegations, asserting that he and his friends had not made any noises and were not racist.

He cautioned her that failure to remove the posts would lead to a criminal complaint.

Instead of deleting the posts, Madlanga shared a screenshot of Kruijer’s message, claiming she was being intimidated.

This post incited further attacks against the three friends.