ANC Minister loses patience with Baas Kruger after video goes viral for the wrong reasons

Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi will pursue legal action against a Facebook account named Baas Kruger for repeated disinformation and cyberbullying, according to a media statement shared by the Department of Justice on X.** The department says the account circulated a viral clip that wrongly attributed a remark to the minister, and the response has drawn a mix of support for the legal route and criticism of the minister’s priorities.

The clip was taken from an interview at an ANC Siyanqoba Rally. In it, a phrase about the March and March movement was widely shared as if Kubayi had said it. The department’s statement clarifies that the words were not hers. The phrase was used by SABC journalist Samkele Maseko in a question he put to the minister during the interview. Misattributing a line in this way can change how viewers understand what a public figure said, which is why the department has treated the matter as a case of deliberate disinformation rather than a simple mistake.

The decision to take legal action reflects a broader issue in South Africa, where social media accounts regularly post edited clips, doctored quotes and personal attacks against politicians, journalists and officials. Targets of such content often face a difficult choice between ignoring false claims and responding publicly, which can give them more reach. Pursuing a case through the courts is one way for officials to show that false statements have consequences, although legal action against anonymous or pseudonymous accounts can also be complicated, particularly when the account operator must first be identified.

The reaction to the department’s post has been largely critical. Many users responding on X argued that the minister should be focusing on national concerns such as unemployment, crime, service delivery and the economy, rather than defending her personal reputation. Others questioned whether a senior public official should use the justice system to respond to online criticism at all. These replies reflect a wider frustration among some citizens that public debate is dominated by political personalities rather than policy.

The exchange also touches on the question of accountability in public office. Public officials are expected to tolerate scrutiny and criticism, and many argue that the threshold for taking legal action should be high. At the same time, a clear, verifiable false claim that circulates widely, especially one that is manipulated to make a minister appear to have said something she did not, can cause real harm to a person’s standing and to public trust in what is being reported.

For ordinary readers, the case is a reminder to check the source of viral clips before sharing them. The full video of an interview, the original publication or a reliable news outlet can usually confirm who said what and in what context. Whether the legal action succeeds or not, the episode highlights how quickly misattributed material can spread and how difficult it can be to correct once it has reached a large audience.

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