Ministers take on fake news and deny it was a storm at Level 3 NYE

The South African Police Service (SAPS) says that a video of Police Minister Bheki Cele partying on New Years Eve (NYE) is old and was not taken during the modified level 3 lockdown.

The video has been widely shared on social media and shows Cele celebrating in a crowded venue.

However, SAPS says the minister did not break lockdown regulations, as the celebration in which he is shown dates back to 2017.

The statement comes on the heels of reports that Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe violated lockdown regulations when he arranged a two-day wedding, but the SAPS also clarified that Mantashe had done nothing wrong in that case either.

ALSO READ: ‘We don’t think you broke any rules,’ police say after Mantashe wedding uproar

#PoliceMinistry The Ministry of Police has taken note of the circulation of a video of @SAPoliceService Minister Gen Bheki Cele at a social event. The video was taken in 2017 and not in # NewYearsEve2020 under the tight # Level3Lockdown as suggested by some social media users. #Wear a mask pic.twitter.com/n1GEoNUwol

– SA Police Service ???????? (@SAPoliceService) January 2, 2021

On Saturday, Labor Minister Thulas Nxesi also distanced himself from a photo of him celebrating the New Year without a mask and without distancing, saying that photo was also from 2017.

“Posting such an image when the country is facing a severe Covid-19 pandemic, of which the minister was also a victim recently, is not only reckless but irresponsible to the extreme,” his office said in a statement.

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