PRETORIA, Gauteng — Brand South Africa (Brand SA) is launching a major mobilization effort to combat violent crime and gender-based violence through active citizenship, while simultaneously pushing back against damaging international misinformation that threatens the country’s global reputation.
The organization is spearheading the “South Africa United Against Crime” flag-planting activation this Saturday in Pretoria, running from 7:00 a.m. to 10:11 a.m. Brand SA CEO Neville Matjie explained that the initiative is designed to encourage citizens to unite in building safer communities, emphasizing that “crime has no color, violence has no race, and safety is everyone’s responsibility.”
During the activation, participants will plant two symbolic flags. The first is the South African national flag, which holds deep historical significance as it first flew on April 27, 1994, and made its first major ceremonial appearance at President Nelson Mandela’s inauguration on May 10, 1994. The second is a purple flag, specifically raised to drive awareness against gender-based violence (GBV).
Matjie stressed that the fight against GBV requires direct accountability, particularly from men and boys. “It starts with me… as a man, what am I doing to really make a difference in my community?” he asked, urging citizens not to look away when witnessing crime, but to report it through the requisite channels and support existing community policing forums and faith-based organizations.
Beyond domestic safety, Brand SA is aggressively tackling the spread of harmful disinformation that is damaging the country’s international image. Matjie strongly condemned the use of terms like “persecution,” “white genocide,” and “land annexation,” describing them as dangerous, casual slogans that distort reality, inflame racial tension, and deter both tourism and foreign investment.
The push against misinformation comes amid heightened political friction in the United States. Matjie noted that South Africa’s ambassador to the United States, Rul Mayor, has been actively engaging with the leader of the Lex Libertas group, who are currently campaigning in the U.S. for American support against what they allege is the persecution of Afrikaners. Matjie also addressed the posture and messaging driven by the Trump administration, noting that such rhetoric creates a false impression of racial persecution that ultimately harms South Africa’s developmental goals.
To combat these narratives, Brand SA is working closely with the ambassador to provide intelligence and exercise its “right to respond” in the U.S. market. The agency is actively placing clarifications in various media platforms regarding expropriation without compensation, black economic empowerment, and the baseless claims of white genocide, ensuring that the country’s real challenges—such as poverty, unemployment, and inequality—are debated honestly rather than being overshadowed by falsehoods.
Despite the aggressive misinformation campaigns, Brand SA’s annual global reputation study reveals a resilient international outlook for the country. Matjie highlighted that tourist arrivals from the U.S. have actually increased over the last year, making Americans the leading tourist demographic in South Africa, surpassing the UK. Furthermore, investor confidence has not shrunk. During recent bilateral meetings at the UN General Assembly, U.S. companies expressed continued keenness to invest in the South African market.
Matjie concluded that the primary risk lies in swaying individuals who have never traveled to South Africa and rely solely on negative narratives. He reaffirmed Brand SA’s commitment to protecting the country’s brand, urging all South Africans to engage in robust, honest debate while refusing to let misinformation define the nation’s global identity.
“We must refuse to allow misinformation to become the language through which our country is understood,” Matjie stated, calling on every citizen to take an active stance in protecting South Africa’s constitutional democracy and its future.
