Malema to face prosecution over remarks about Cwecwe case
EFF leader Julius Malema is set to face criminal prosecution for crimen injuria after AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit successfully made representations to the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) over remarks he made in April 2025 about former Bergview College principal Jaco Pieterse.
The case stems from statements Malema delivered on 6 April 2025 at the EFF’s Land Reclamation Day event in Sophiatown, Johannesburg. He publicly referred to Pieterse as the principal who r*ped a seven-year-old girl known as “Cwecwe,” claimed the principal was being treated differently from other suspects, suggested it was not the first such offence, and called for other alleged victims to come forward.
Pieterse, represented by AfriForum’s unit, laid a criminal complaint of crimen injuria (and related charges) against Malema, ANC secretary-general Fikile Mbalula, and Eastern Cape Education MEC Fundile Gade in June 2025. The NPA had earlier declined to prosecute anyone in the underlying alleged rape case, citing a lack of evidence after medical and forensic examinations of the child.
When a decision on the crimen injuria complaint against Malema was not forthcoming, AfriForum’s unit made formal representations. The Gauteng Deputy Director of Public Prosecutions has now instructed that prosecutions be instituted in the Johannesburg Magistrates’ Court.
Pieterse said the false allegations had caused immense pain to him and his family. “I trust that this process will vindicate me and ensure that there is accountability for those who falsely accuse others of committing vile crimes without any regard for the consequences,” he stated. “I hope the court sends a strong message that there are consequences for making such reckless, false, and damaging allegations.”
Similar complaints against Mbalula remain pending; the NPA previously declined to pursue the case against Gade.
