The Citizen notes that Mpumalanga Premier Refilwe Mtsweni-Tsipane has deposited a statement of guilt for violating lockdown regulations on the compulsory wearing of masks in public, but it remains unclear whether the premier will have a criminal record for this.
Mtsweni-Tsipane apologised again on Monday after she was captured on television not wearing her mask at the funeral of late Minister in the Presidency Jackson Mthembu in Emalahleni, Mpumalanga. In a statement, the premier said she had signed a statement of guilt and had paid a fine at Vosman Police Station. Under the lockdown regulations, any person who fails to comply with a verbal instruction by a law-enforcement officer to wear a mask commits a criminal offence, and if they are convicted, are liable to a fine or a period of imprisonment not exceeding six months or both. According to associate professor of law at North West University, Elmien Du Plessis, should an accused person commit an offence and admit to it, a criminal record would apply. But there are some exceptions, such as parking tickets and speeding fines. The government is moreover considering expunging the criminal records of people who have violated lockdown regulations, including people arrested for not wearing masks in public. Police Minister Bheki Cele had previously requested National Police Commissioner General Khehla Sitole to probe Mtsweni-Tsipane for the incident and Cele’s spokesperson indicated on Monday that the minister was taking the investigation very seriously. But, it remains unclear whether this investigation will continue as attempts to get hold of the SA Police Service (Saps) for comment have been unsuccessful.
- Read the full original of the report in the above regard by Thapelo Lekabe at The Citizen
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