Suspended S African Minister pays fine for breaching COVID-19 lockdown rules

A South African minister had to pay an admission of guilt fine of Rand 1,000 (USD 53) after she was suspended and criminally charged for breaching lockdown regulations in place to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic that has infected over 3,000 people in the country.

Minister of Communications, Telecommunications and Postal Services Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams was suspended on April 8 for two months, one without pay, after President Cyril Ramaphosa acted swiftly following a public outcry over her violation of the 35-day lockdown. She paid the Rand 1,000 fine on Tuesday.

The coronavirus has infected more than 3,000 people and killed over 55 in the country as the lockdown entered its 27th day.

The regulations require people to remain in their homes during the lockdown imposed to fight the pandemic, but the minister visited former deputy minister of higher education Mduduzi Manana at his home and had lunch with his family on April 5.

The investigations revealed that the visit was not for purposes of rendering essential services or obtaining essential goods, collecting a grant or seeking medical attention as per requirements of the COVID-19 regulations, said Phindi Mjonondwane of the National Prosecuting Authority.

Pictures of the lunch posted by Manana on his social media pages triggered a public outcry and he tried to defend Ndabeni-Abrahams by claiming that she had stopped by to collect medical equipment to deliver elsewhere, coincidentally during lunchtime.

Even though Ndabeni-Abrahams issued a public apology after her suspension, she was still criminally charged with contravention of regulation 11 B of the Disaster Management Act.

She was served with summons to appear in the Pretoria district court next month, but the presiding senior magistrate for the district allowed her to pay an admission of guilt fine to avoid the court appearance which resulted in the minister having a criminal record.

However, it will not impact Ndabeni-Abrahams' qualification to continue serving as the Cabinet minister after her suspension, as any citizen in the country is only prohibited from serving as a member of Parliament if sentenced to a jail term of more than 12 months without an option of a fine.

The minister has been in the public eye after recent allegations that her husband had accompanied her on an official visit to Switzerland at state expense.