Ramaphosa Suspends Minister who went Out for Lunch During Lockdown

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has put Communications Minister on ‘special leave’ for two months, one of which will be unpaid, for breaking the rules of a countrywide lockdown

Ramaphosa acted after the emergence of a picture of the Minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, having lunch outdoors.

The incident angered many South Africans who have been confined to their homes during the 21-day lockdown that started on March 27 to stem the spread of the coronavirus.

During the duration of the lockdown, South African will only be allowed to leave their homes for essential tasks like buying food.

“The president strongly believes that no one, including the minister is above the law. He says none of us should undermine our national effort to save lives in this very serious situation,” explained Ramaphosa’s spokeswoman Khusela Diko.

Meanwhile, opposition politicians are now calling on Ramaphosa to fire Ndabeni-Abrahams, who has since released a video apologising for the incident.