South Africans have not taken lightly to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula’s tweet on Ukraine. On Saturday, Mbalula tweeted without giving any context that he had “just landed in Ukraine”.
The tweet has since landed the minister in trouble for making a joke about the ongoing war in Ukraine. The eastern Europe nation is currently fighting off thousands of Russian soldiers who have invaded the country.
Many people who responded to Mbalula’s tweet highlighted the ongoing challenges that the Department of Transport continue to face under his leadership, noting that he needed to pay more attention to his department.
Asked by several media to respond to his insensitive tweet, Mbalula chose to remain silent.
But on Sunday he tweeted that he would undertake an oversight visit to driving licence testing centres in Gauteng. “I will also speak on the approaching deadline for the extension of licence validity and other related issues,” he tweeted.
During his oversight visit to testing centres, Mbalula failed again to give clarity about his tweet, and chose to accuse a journalist who had pressed for answers of chasing after fame.
@MbalulaFikile thinks I’m “disruptive” for probing him as a publicly elected official about a tweet HE posted on a public platform, creating confusion and considerably insensitive to what’s happening with the #RussiaUkraineConflict ????????♀️ https://t.co/ID0GfvVXGB
— Ziyanda N (@ZiyandaNgcobo) March 7, 2022
Since you’re more responsive on Twitter and not during a presser,let’s try this again shall we? Were you or were you not in Ukraine? If so, who sent you ? If you weren’t, why did you lie in the midst of confusion around SA’s position regarding the #RussiaUkraineConflict? https://t.co/gTh8W2QfbZ
— Ziyanda N (@ZiyandaNgcobo) March 8, 2022
Just landed in Ukraine 🇺🇦
— FIKILE MBALULA | MR FIX (@MbalulaFikile) March 5, 2022
As a celebrity I am concerned about this, you are landing in Ukraine Fikile whilst our cars are landing on potholes here.
— Collen (@Collen_KM) March 5, 2022
The Minister went to Ukraine
While the people waited on a train
He announced his trip like it’s a vacation
While people scratched through bricks to find a station
He’s going to inspect the war he says
While the suspects that warred on our stations are still on paid vacation.— Lorenzo Davids (@UrbanLo) March 5, 2022
Why don’t you answer our questions about Ukraine when you put it in public that you landed there, was it a personal visit or you used state funds because tax payers deserve to know the outcome and reasons for your visit. pic.twitter.com/Z0scuwJGFP
— South African®🇿🇦 (@AllThingsMzansi) March 7, 2022
Is this Ukraine??
— magekha mathulachippi (@PhillRamboo) March 7, 2022
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