dark/black icons in menu bar dark mode

My menu bar is always in dark mode. Sometimes, some of the icon/words in the menu bar start using black text and thus become invisible.

Using system preferences I can return to light mode, and everything looks fine.

Returning to dark mode, the same menus are invisible.

This is not just one or two 3rd party apps, it i the time and battrry status indicator etc. i.e. macOS system apps.

Anybody got a suggestion?

(17" MBP 2010)

Thanks.