The EFF has opened a case against Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams for allegedly contravening the lockdown regulations.

This after Ndabeni-Abrahams was pictured having a meal at the home of former deputy minister of higher education Mduduzi Manana, which left many South Africans on social media calling for her head.

She has since been placed on special leave by President Cyril Ramaphosa for two months and made to apologise to the nation.

Speaking shortly after opening a case at the Douglasdale police station in Sandton, EFF spokesperson Vuyani Pambo said Ndabeni-Abrahams had undermined the lockdown which the majority of South Africans were adhering to.

“She is supposed to be of a high standard upholding the law. She sits on the National Command Council, she is part of the decision-making body on that council.”

The council, chaired by Ramaphosa, is an inter-ministerial committee made up of key portfolios charged with curbing the spread of the coronavirus.

In an earlier statement, the EFF called for her removal in Ramaphosa’s Cabinet.

It said Police Minister Bheki Cele should take the same action against her which ordinary citizens faced when they violated the regulations.

“No one should be above the law, particularly during this critical time of preventing the rapid spread of the coronavirus. The EFF further calls for an investigation into the claims of one Mduduzi Manana who claimed, through his foundation, that the minister’s visit related to acquiring personal protective equipment to combat the spread of Covid-19,” the party added in a statement.

Ramaphosa summoned Ndabeni-Abrahams to a meeting on Tuesday, where he expressed his disapproval and told her she had undermined the lockdown regulations which required all citizens to stay at home to curb the spread of Covid-19, News24 reported.

In a statement after the reprimand, he said the law should take its own course.

“The nationwide lockdown calls for absolute compliance on the part of all South Africans. Members of the national executive carry a special responsibility in setting an example to South Africans who are having to make great sacrifices.

“None of us – not least a member of the national executive – should undermine our national effort to save lives in this very serious situation. I am satisfied that Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams appreciates the seriousness of what she has done and that no one is above the law,” Ramaphosa said.

Source: News24