Mmamoloko Kubayi Takes ‘Baas Kruger’ to Court Over Alleged Online Claims

Justice Minister Mmamoloko Kubayi has begun legal action against a social media account known as “Baas Kruger,” which the ministry accuses of repeatedly publishing false and defamatory claims about her. The ministry says the posts form part of a sustained campaign that has harmed her reputation and amounted to cyberbullying. The move followed what the ministry describes as unsuccessful appeals for the account holder to stop spreading the disputed claims. Palesa Rammitlwa, a spokesperson for Kubayi, said the minister had acted to protect her dignity and reputation and to seek accountability. The ministry says the latest controversy grew after a doorstep interview at the ANC’s Siyanqoba Rally in the Eastern Cape circulated online. In the clip, a journalist asked Kubayi about the March and March movement being “squeezed like cranberries.” Rammitlwa said those words were used by the journalist, not by the minister, and rejected claims that Kubayi had said them. She added that the minister accepts responsibility for her own statements but would challenge words wrongly attributed to her. The account holder responded publicly to the legal threat, denying that they had posted or commented that Kubayi said she would squeeze people like cranberry juice. In a Facebook post, Baas Kruger said the minister would have to show the court where the account had made the claim and asserted that the account was careful about what it published. The account also alleged that Kubayi faced other legal actions; that assertion was not established in the ministry’s account. Kubayi’s action turns the dispute over the viral interview into a court battle about what was said online and who is responsible for the allegations. The ministry says the minister will not leave the matter unanswered, while the account holder says the case should be tested in court. The claims on both sides remain allegations, and the article does not report a court finding.