After public backlash, Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane has since apologised.
Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane delivers the welcoming remarks during the Official Service for Minister Jackson Mthembu. Picture: GCIS
JOHANNESBURG – Police Minister Bheki Cele on Sunday said that an investigation would be launched after Mpumalanga’s Premier was captured on camera not wearing a mask at the late Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu‘s funeral.
READ: MORE: Mpumalanga Premier apologises for ‘briefly’ not wearing mask at Mthembu funeral
After public backlash, Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane has since apologised.
However, in a statement, she claimed that her mask was damaged and somehow fell off without her noticing.
In his own statement, Minister Cele said that wearing masks when out in public was non-negotiable.
His spokesperson, Lirandzu Themba, said: “General Cele would like to remind all South Africans that wearing a mask in public is mandatory for every person under the adjusted alert level 3 lockdown regulations. Any person who fails to comply to a verbal instruction by a law enforcement officer to wear a mask commits an offence and is liable to a fine or a period of imprisonment not exceeding six months or both.”
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