Simphiwe Dana believes Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams backlash is 'way too hectic'

Social media users have not been forgiving of people who break lockdown rules, however songstress Simphiwe Dana believes the backlash towards minister of communications, telecommunications & postal services Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams is “too hectic”. 

The minister came under fire after she violated lockdown regulations by having lunch with former deputy minister of education Mduduzi Manana. Pictures of the lunch were shared by Manana on social media, but later deleted.

The incident infuriated many, who have been confined to their homes out of respect for lockdown regulations. They took to social media platforms, demanding that the minister be held accountable for her actions.

President Cyril Ramaphosa issued a statement on Wednesday, saying that Ndabeni-Abrahams had been put on two months' special leave, one of them without pay. She also publicly apologised for her actions.

Simphiwe was one of the few people who had a slightly different take on the debacle.

While she definitely did not condone the minister's actions, she felt the backlash Ndabeni-Abrahams received, when compared to other alleged transgressions by her male counterparts, was “too hectic”. 

“I do feel like black women get the brunt of the hate. Yes, she was wrong. But the backlash is way too hectic. She didn’t go to a crowded area and sneeze. (African Christian Democratic Party leader Kenneth) Meshoe wasn’t treated like this. And he put our president at risk, knowingly.

“Also, I’m not defending Stella, I’m just noting the disproportionate treatment. Meshoe put our president and other important diplomats at risk,” Simphiwe added.

Meshoe tested positive for Covid-19 last month after participating in a religious gathering in the Free State where five international guests subsequently tested positive for the virus.

TimesLIVE quoted the party's deputy president, Wayne Thring, as saying that Meshoe displayed no symptoms and was not aware of the health status of the visitors when he later attended a briefing of political party leaders with Ramaphosa.