Maskless Premier Admits Guilt, Pays Fine and Buys 1 000 Face Masks

Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at 11:59 AM by Samantha Riddle

- Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane has signed a 'statement of guilt' at the Vosman Police Station

- This after calls for her arrest mounted on Monday following her appearance at Jackson Mthembu's funeral

- The Premier says that she has also bought 1 000 face masks as part of a public education campaign

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The Office of the Premier has released a statement listing the action that Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane has taken after her mask scandal.

Mainstream — The Premier has paid the applicable fine and purchased masks as part of a public awareness campaign. Image: Mpumalanga Government/ Twitter
Source: UGC

The Premier confirmed that she has submitted a 'statement of guilt' at the Vosman Police Station in Emalahleni in response to the immense backlash.

In addition to this, Mtsweni-Tsipane has purchased 1 000 face masks and taken the time to reflect deeply on her 'momentary lapse' which she insists she deeply regrets:

“To further demonstrate my remorse, I have bought a 1000 masks that will be distributed in Emalahleni as part of [a] public education and awareness campaign to demonstrate the serious nature of COVID-19."

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The Premier has accepted the necessary fine and opted to go into isolation for a period of two weeks:

“I wish to take this opportunity once again to apologise to His Excellency, President Cyril Ramaphosa, the Deputy President of the Republic Mr David Mabuza, the Mthembu family, the people of Mpumalanga and the rest of the country. I should have known better as a public figure and more so attending a COVID-19 funeral."

Earlier, Briefly.co.za reported that the Premier had been quick to issue an apology after images of her maskless appearance at Jackson Mthembu's funeral went viral:

“We note the images circulating on social media, wherein the Premier is seen without a mask as prescribed by the regulations: Upon arrival at the cemetery and disembarking from the vehicle, the Premier’s mask was damaged and she was oblivious that it had fallen off. The Premier believed that the mask was intact, as it had been through the proceedings.”