OPINION: Anybody else find Health MEC Nomagugu Simelane’s apology hollow and half-hearted?
“As directed by the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, I, Nomagugu Simelane, hereby wish to tender a public apology for having been less than ethical or exemplary in my conduct, as has been found by the Premier.”
That sounds like my children apologising to one another: “Dad says I must apologise because he thinks I’ve done something wrong to you.”
There is no sincerity or semblance of acceptance that something wrong was done.
In the case of Simelane, the “wrong” is particularly egregious, and the penalty imposed by Premier Sihle Zikalala conversely lenient in the circumstances.
Simelane was caught on camera at what she says was a surprise birthday lunch. Footage from the event shows guests dancing and mingling at close quarters, Simelane included, and not a mask in sight.
The penalty? A warning from Zikalala, a public apology and 50% of her salary docked for a month.
As President Cyril Ramaphosa failed to take decisive action against Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams for breaking Covid regulations (two months’ special leave, one unpaid), so Zikalala followed suit with Simelane.
Both examples stand in stark contrast to the previous arrests of people caught in public without masks.
Surely the same approach is required here?
In the absence of Simelane resigning for bringing shame to her office (that would be too much to expect), it fell to Zikalala to do the necessary.
Evidently that too was too much to expect.