Lockdown 'joke' lands Somizi in hot water with Fikile Mbalula
- Somizi has gotten himself into a heap of trouble with Fikile Mbalula
- He claimed he made a bad joke online about the lockdown being extended and Fikile told him about it
- This was done hours before president made the official announcement
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Minister of transport Fikile Mbalula is not happy with Somizi Mhlongo, so upset that he is laying charges against the Idols SA judge.
A video surfaced on social media of Somizi telling his Metro FM workmate Dineo Ranaka that the lockdown would be extended, hours before President Cyril Ramaphosa made the announcement.
Briefly.co.za learned that Somizi told Dineo that he heard the news from "Fikile". Mbalula is incensed by the fact that Somizi said that he told him that the lockdown would be extended before the president made the announcement.
Ranaka cut her stream as soon as Somizi said that Mbalula said the lockdown would be extended.
Mbalula has distanced himself from Somizi's claims and said that he would lay charges against the Idols judge according to TimesLive.
“Minister Mbalula will be at Sandton Police Station Friday morning to report the contravention of the Government Lockdown Regulations as published under the Disaster Management Act on fake news and misinformation peddling,” it read.
He further posted another video to Twitter of him signing an affidavit at the police station that he had not disclosed information relating to the lockdown extension to Somizi.
Mhlongo released a statement online apologising for what he called a bad joke.
“It was a bad joke on my part. I did say to my colleague later that I was joking and that I never spoke to the minister at any point I was just scaring her. Again I'm sorry for the bad joke and I apologise to the minister for such a dangerous statement,” he said on Twitter.
“I'm just like you, I did not know about it, I was just guessing. I think like everybody else I had a feeling that it was gonna be extended.”
READ ALSO: DA calls on Ramaphosa to stop racialising Covid-19 economic relief
Mbalula accepted his apology and said that if anyone doubted that he had not told Somizi about the extension could check his phone or ask Somizi themselves.
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Source: Briefly News
