Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane apologised in a media statement for appearing at the funeral of ANC stalwart Jackson Mthembu without a mask at the weekend, after footage and photographs of her without one were circulated on social media and national TV.
On Monday, the premier said she had deposited a statement of guilt at the Vosman Police Station in eMalahleni and paid a fine. However, Collen Sedibe, Mpumalanga EFF chairperson, said the party would proceed with opening a case at the Witbank Police Station on Tuesday.
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“The EFF views the conduct of the premier not wearing a mask in public as irresponsible and as a serious matter that the law must attend to with the urgency it deserves…” “It is disappointing to see the premier, as the head of the Coronavirus Command Council, behaving like she did when in essence she is supposed to be leading by example. Instead, she chose to contravene the very same regulation she is expected to advocate and champion to the whole community of Mpumalanga,” Sedibe said.
He added that the party would be writing to the president in addition to opening the case, asking him “to do to the premier what he did to Stella Ndabeni Abrahams when she was found to have contravened the lockdown level 5 regulations” last year.
Mtsweni-Tsipane, however, said since the news had broken of the incident and images of her without her mask appeared on social media, she has “reflected deeply on this momentarily lapse, which I regret profusely.”
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“I wish to take this opportunity once again apologise to his excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa, the deputy president of the republic, David Mabuza, the Mthembu family, the people of Mpumalanga and the rest of the country. I should have known better as a public figure and more so attending a Covid-19 funeral,” she said. “To this effect, I have deposited a statement of guilt at the Vosman Police Station in eMalahleni and where I accepted the necessary fine. I have also written a letter to the president expressing my regret.
“To further demonstrate my remorse, I have bought 1 000 masks that will be distributed in eMalahleni as part of a public education and awareness campaign to demonstrate the serious nature of Covid-19. “I wish to take this opportunity to express my condolences to all the families who have lost their loved one due to the pandemic. I also wish those who are currently struggling with the virus a speedy recovery,” she said.
Mtsweni-Tsipane added that she had also taken the decision to go into isolation for 14 days. The minister of police, Gen Bheki Cele, released a statement on Sunday stating the wearing of masks in public is non-negotiable.
“If South Africa wants to beat this invisible enemy which is Covid-19, we simply can’t let our guard down. This is why I have spoken to the national commissioner of the SAPS, Gen Khehla Sitole, to look into the matter of the premier. An investigation must be conducted and necessary action must be taken,” said Cele.
He added that the wearing of a mask in public is mandatory for every person, under the adjusted alert level 3 lockdown regulations. Any person who fails to comply with a verbal instruction by a law enforcement officer, to wear a mask, commits an offence, and is, upon conviction, liable to a fine or a period of imprisonment, not exceeding six months or both.
