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High Court Orders X User to Retract Defamatory Statements Against Tumi Sole and Pay Legal Costs The Gauteng High Court has granted an urgent interdict against X user Bafana Surprise Mathebula, known online as @BafanaSurprise, ordering him to stop publishing defamatory content about prominent corporate attorney Itumeleng “Tumi” Sole. In a post on Tuesday, 24 March 2026, Sole announced that Judge Senyatsi had ruled in his favour in the matter of Sole v Mathebula. The court declared Mathebula’s earlier statements about Sole made under the @BafanaSurprise handle to be false, defamatory and unlawful. The order restrains Mathebula from publishing, posting, sharing or disseminating any further false or harmful statements concerning Sole’s personal life, finances, professional conduct or reputation on X or any other platform. He has been directed to delete eight specific offending posts within 24 hours and to publish a full public retraction and apology on his X account within 48 hours. The apology must remain pinned to his profile for a minimum of 30 days. The prescribed apology reads: “I, Bafana Surprise Mathebula, published various unlawful, defamatory and false statements against Mr Tumi Sole. The publications I made against Mr Tumi Sole were untruthful, unlawful, and defamatory. I extend my sincerest apology to Mr Tumi Sole for impugning his reputation and further extend my apology to his family and his business associates.” The question of damages has been reserved for later determination. Mathebula was also ordered to pay Sole’s legal costs on an attorney-and-client scale, including the costs of counsel. Sole, who is chairman of the Running With Tumi Sole movement and founder of the #CountryDuty initiative, said he had instructed RC Attorneys to launch proceedings immediately after the allegations surfaced a few weeks ago. “We don’t have to like each other, especially on social media platforms,” Sole wrote. “However, when posts cross the line and impact one’s dignity and reputation, the law must apply without fear or favour.” The ruling serves as a high-profile reminder of the legal consequences of online defamation in South Africa.

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