President Cyril Ramaphosa Tells Minister Nathi Mthethwa to “Cancel This Thing” Following R22m Flag Backlash
- President Cyril Ramaphosa caused laughter to erupt when he was addressing the Black Business Council
- He told a crowd that Minister Nathi Mthethwa called him upon receiving backlash from the flag project
- South Africans are not having Ramaphosa comments since the flag project was approved by him earlier this year
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JOHANNESBURG - A video has been doing its rounds on social media that shows how President Cyril Ramaphosa reacted to Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa following harsh criticisms surrounding the R22 million flag project.
A giggling Ramaphosa was addressing the Black Business Council summit in Midrand recently when he commented on the monumental flag project. The proposed project sparked outrage from South Africans who declared it a waste of taxpayers’ money.
Source: Getty Images
Ramaphosa said Mthethwa told him that people are not happy with the “wonderful” flag idea, to which he replies:
“Of course, they are not happy with it. Cancel this thing.”
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His comments on the video clip caused the crowd to erupt with laughter.
The Department of Sports, Arts and Culture announced that the monumental flag project is under review following the negative feedback it received from South Africans.
The ministry said Mthethwa instructed his department to review the process related to the monumental flag in its totality, TimesLIVE reported. The flag project was approved by Ramaphosa in February.
South Africans aren’t having it
While the video clip did cause laughter, social media users were outraged by it and say there is nothing funny about wasting resources:
@zsszonyane said:
“The way he's taking the #FlagGate light, joking and laughing about it shows how they care less about the people. They know they'll boost the "steal" industry through other projects and departments.”
@KgMol wrote:
“How they all think it's a joke... ja we know it's a literal joke, but damn Mthethwa is an executive and must be held accountable.”
@BridaKent posted:
“This is a very EXPENSIVE joke, if only I had R22m I would have found this funny.”
@angie43639902 commented:
“For him, it’s a monumental joke.”
Minister Nathi Mthethwa is rethinking R22m monument flag project following severe backlash, SA reacts
In a related matter, Briefly News also reported the R22 million flag project may not see the light of day after the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa announced that the project is being reviewed. The announcement comes following harsh criticisms and severe backlash the department faced.
A statement was released on Thursday 19 May which stated that the minister has listened to the public’s comments. The department said the comments around the monument flag project are welcome and reflect the country’s freedoms.
"In upholding these ethos and the inalienable rights of citizens to be heard, the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture has directed his department to review the process related to the monumental flag in its totality,” the statement posted on Twitter read.
Source: Briefly News
