The Mduduzi Manana Foundation has claimed in a statement that Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni Abrahams was visiting the Manana home to collect supplies of gloves, masks and sanitisers and was not simply having lunch with the family.
A picture of Minister Ndabeni Abrahams and her husband sitting at a table and apparently having lunch at the Fourways home, in northern Johannesburg, started doing the rounds on social media.
#LockdownSA JUST IN: ANC NEC member Mdu Manana has released a statement defending the visit by Communications Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams to his house.
Manana says she was there to pick up masks, sanitizers etc for students working on #Covid_19 digital services.#sabcnews pic.twitter.com/iUGOb4zwjt— Chriselda ‘Babes WeNdaba’ Lewis ™️ (@Chriseldalewis) April 7, 2020
The picture, which was in apparent contravention of lockdown regulations, has been met with outrage on social media.
Nothing happened to Minister Lindiwe Zulu, what makes us think anything will happen to Mdu Manana and Stella Ndabeni Abrahams.
Jail and the embarrassment of rolling on the floor and frog jumps are only reserved for us. pic.twitter.com/iUPEcYxtSG
— #LockdownSA ?? (@Mzansist) April 7, 2020
Like I said,if Stella Ndabeni isn’t fired nor arrested including Manana,tomorrow I’m going jogging,fishing thereafter and go chill with my friends since there’s no cases of #Covid_19 here at my Kasie.Oh there’s no police visibility also… pic.twitter.com/Y61V7VZtWU
— Sundowns _Fanatic ? ? ? (@Madumetja_SoLo) April 7, 2020
Why is Ramaphosa having a “meeting” with Stella? Shouldn’t he have called the Police instead? Kwenzakalani in this country?
Stell and Manana must be arrested, they have breached the Lockdown rules! Let’s be consistent! pic.twitter.com/wGjWbOlpfT
— P I C A N T O (@_KealebogaMO) April 7, 2020
President Cyril Ramaphosa says he will meet with the Minister to get her side of the story.
Manana’s Foundation claims the family was having lunch and courteously asked the Minister to join them after she arrived to pick up the items. Attempts to reach Manana directly for comment have been unsuccessful.