Ngizwe Mchunu Loses Hate Speech Case, Ordered To Apologise and Pay Substantial Fine

• Johannesburg High Court rules Ngizwe Mchunu's actions constituted hate speech against the LGBTQIA+ community
• Mchunu faces a R250,000 fine and is mandated to apologise and undergo human rights training
• SAHRC celebrates the ruling as a key victory against discrimination in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, GAUTENG— The Johannesburg High Court, sitting as an Equality Court, ruled that public figure Ngizwe Mchunu's conduct and publications constituted hate speech, harassment, and unfair discrimination targeting LGBTQIA+ people. The ruling follows legal action taken by the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC), TransHope, and the Hate Crimes Working Group, who were represented by Lawyers for Human Rights.

According to IOL, the court examined videos and a flyer published between 30 September and 6 October 2025, alongside a march to the Kwa Mai Mai Traditional Market on 5 October 2025. It found Mchunu violated sections 6, 10, and 11 of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act.

Read also

General Senona denies subjecting Warrant Officer Sander to polygraph test over stolen coffee machine

The SAHRC initially attempted to resolve the matter directly with Mchunu, demanding that he remove offending material from his platforms within 24 hours, cease promoting content amounting to discrimination, and issue a public retraction. Mchunu, who recently clashed with a foreign national, rejected the demands, refused to apologise, and stated that he stood by his remarks.

Equality Court rules against Ngizwe Mchunu

Mchunu faces a permanent ban on publishing discriminatory content against LGBTQIA+ people and restrictions on participating in related demonstrations. The court ordered him to publish an unconditional apology pinned on his Facebook page for three months.

Mchunu must pay R250,000 to organisations working on equality and social cohesion, undergo 20 hours of human rights sensitisation training under the SAHRC, and pay the complainants’ legal costs. The Commission welcomed the outcome as an affirmation that hate speech will not be tolerated in South Africa.

Ngizwe Mchunu defends himself

In a related article, Briefly News reported that Mchunu stood by the apology he issued to Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) president Julius Malema. This was after he lost his defamation court case against Malema. Mchunu said that his apology was sincere and clarified that he stood by the allegations he made against him.

Source: Briefly News