AfriForum now has a platform where South Africans who have been falsely accused of racism can ask this organization for help.
The civil rights organization says it appears that allegations of false racism are on the rise in South Africa.
His private prosecution unit is now prepared to help victims of this trend where it can be proven that the allegation of racism is in fact false.
Victims or persons who know of someone to whom this has happened are encouraged to make their voices heard on the new platform.
This platform, which will be officially launched on Monday, also provides guidelines for the public to take legal action in cases of false racism.
Barry Bateman, spokesperson for AfriForum’s private prosecution unit, says it is essential to speak up as fabricated versions of cases of race-based discrimination carry the same consequences as bona fide cases.
Bateman says it is hurtful, disrespectful and can undermine a person’s dignity.
“False allegations of racism have equally damaging social and economic consequences for those implicated. Often no evidence of the alleged wrongdoing is necessary for such allegations to be accepted as the truth and any objection that such allegations are false or that there is insufficient evidence is presented as confirmation of a person’s guilt.”
“The onus is then on the accused to prove their innocence while the so-called victim’s version is accepted as the only truth and remains undisputed. This Kafka-like situation then forces these people to remain silent about the injustice committed against them.”
Bateman says being accused of racism in South Africa is probably one of the worst labels that can be placed on a person, especially when these allegations play out in the public eye.
“The social and economic consequences are often swift – the accused person is ostracized, isolated and subjected to online abuse, including death threats, and is often left unemployed and unemployable. This situation can play out within days, sometimes hours, depending on how quickly the content depicting the behavior, or the allegation itself, spreads on social media and elsewhere.
There must be no place for discrimination or hatred in South Africa and bona fide cases of racism must be strongly condemned. Persons must stand up against such actions in any form.
“No person reasonably expects another to accept guilt and pay for a crime they did not commit. Yet this is exactly what happens when false allegations of racism are made against a person. We would like to nip this trend in the bud.”
RNews reported just last month that a South African TikToker is facing a criminal investigation after she allegedly made false allegations of racism against three young people.
Reece Lopes (20), Milan Kruijer (20) and Jude Fraser-Grant (21) filed a case with the police in August, but after the case was summarily closed, they approached AfriForum’s private prosecution unit for help.
The three young people are accused by Njabulo Madlanga of making monkey noises when she and her siblings visited the theme park Gold Reef City earlier this year.
Madlanga documented the alleged incident in a series of posts on the social media platform TikTok. Some of these posts have been viewed more than two million times.
The videos are said to have sparked a flood of online abuse, including death threats directed at Lopes, Kruijer and Fraser-Grant.
