Malema to face prosecution over alleged crimen injuria remarks
· The South African
Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) leader Julius Malema will face criminal prosecution after AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit persuaded the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) to proceed with a crimen injuria case against him.
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The case relates to comments Malema made about Jaco Pieterse, the former principal of Bergview College in Matatiele, whom he publicly accused of being a serial child rapist.
Pieterse opened a criminal complaint against Malema at Sophiatown Police Station in June 2025 with support from AfriForum’s unit.
The unit submitted formal representations to the NPA after the NPA failed to decide whether to prosecute Malema.
Malema’s comments sparked a complaint
The complaint follows statements Malema made on 6 April 2025 during the EFF’s Land Reclamation Day event at Sophiatown Extreme Park in Johannesburg.
During the event, Malema alleged that a school principal had raped a seven-year-old girl and claimed the suspect was receiving different treatment from others accused of similar crimes.
He also suggested the principal could have committed other offences. The case involves allegations that someone raped a child at Bergview College in October 2024.
Pieterse and the school caretaker became targets of a social media campaign after the NPA decided not to prosecute anyone in the case due to insufficient evidence.
The NPA later confirmed that investigators found no evidence of rape or sexual assault after the child underwent interviews and medical examinations.
AfriForum argues he violated Pieterse’s dignity
AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit head, Advocate Gerrie Nel, argued that Malema understood the impact of false criminal allegations because he had previously taken legal action to protect his own reputation.
Nel said Malema had previously approached the courts after people accused him of criminal wrongdoing and argued that such false allegations infringed on his right to dignity.
He also referred to a previous case in which Malema sought legal protection after a blogger published claims about his personal life.
A court ordered the blogger involved to apologise and retract the statements.
Nel argued that Malema knew the importance of protecting a person’s dignity but still publicly labelled Pieterse a “rapist” without justification.
The NPA has instructed the Chief Prosecutor at the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court to begin prosecution proceedings against Malema.
The date for the case to be enrolled has not yet been announced.