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The EFF is calling for Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams to be dismissed from Cabinet.
“There is no logical explanation for her to be treated with kid gloves while the masses are subjected to the full might of the law,” the red berets said.
This is despite Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams’ public apology to citizens for violating lockdown regulations by visiting former ANC MP Mduduzi Manana.
READ: Ramaphosa places minister on special leave for violating lockdown rules
The EFF believes Police Minister Bheki Cele should treat Ndabeni-Abrahams’ case the same way that the police deal with regular citizens who have broken the lockdown laws.
In a statement released on Wednesday afternoon, the red berets said the two-month suspension imposed on the minister for breaching lockdown regulations was “nonsensical”, suggesting that ministers and members of the executive must not be treated as if they are above the law.
“Ordinary citizens are subjected to the full might of the law should they breach lockdown regulations. For one to have lunch with friends while our people observe the lockdown is insulting and undermining,” the statement read.
The party’s national spokesperson, Vuyani Pambo, has taken the matter a step further and plans to lay criminal charges against Ndabeni-Abrahams and Manana.
The EFF has called for Manana’s claims that Ndabeni-Abrahams was at his house to fetch protective gear at lunchtime be investigated.
“It is concerning that a sitting minister can be summoned to the home of an individual for donations, while there are existing structures and mechanisms that coordinate donor efforts towards combating Covid-19,” the statement read.
The minister made headlines earlier this week and caused a social media stir after citizens saw an image posted by Manana on Instagram. Ndabeni-Abrahams is seen sharing a meal with him and others, clearly contravening social distancing rules put in place to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Since the announcement of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s decision to place her special leave, the minister has apologised, saying that she regrets the incident and is deeply sorry for her actions.
“I hope the president and South Africans will find it in their hearts to forgive me. The president has put me on special leave with immediate effect. I undertake to abide by the conditions of the special leave.
“I wish to use this opportunity to reiterate the president’s call for all of us to observe the lockdown rules. They are a necessary intervention to curb the spread of a virus that has devastated many nations,” Ndabeni-Abrahams said.
The ANC has welcomed Ramaphosa’s decision to suspend Ndabeni-Abrahams, saying in a statement: “The ANC calls on all its deployees and the rest of society to respect and abide by the letter and spirit of all lockdown regulations to effectively disrupt the chain of transmission occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.”
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Queenin MasaubiPolitical journalist | City Press | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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