Gwede Mantashe accused of ‘breaking Level 3 rules’ with wedding party

Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe has denied claims that he breached the reintroduced Level 3 lockdown restrictions this week, just days after Cyril Ramaphosa made the bombshell announcement. The political heavyweight attended a mass gathering to celebrate his son’s wedding – but it seems he at least has a leg to stand on, here.

Minister’s wedding celebrations cause controversy

Several key pieces of information have come to light on Monday. The two-day event was split by the president’s address, meaning that the second half of the wedding had to be toned down dramatically. So far, we’ve learned…

• The wedding took place in Cala, Eastern Cape – the minister’s hometown.
• Mantashe says he reported the event to the police the morning after the first night of celebrations.
• Police confirmed that no arrests were made, and the Mantashe family ‘cooperated fully’.
• Meanwhile, the veteran politician has denied claims that alcohol was consumed by himself or other guests the day after Ramaphosa addressed the nation.
• Buyambo Mantashe, the son of Gwede who was getting married, stated that all COVID-19 protocols were observed.

Did Gwede Mantashe break any lockdown laws?

Gwede Mantashe’s full explanation has been shared by TimesLive, after the ANC stalwart finally broke his silence on the matter. According to ‘the tiger’, the first day of the wedding party (Monday 28 December) took place at the same time Cyril Ramaphosa announced the country would return to Level 3 restrictions, outlawing mass gatherings and alcohol sales.

However, those rules only came into effect from 00:01 on Tuesday 29 December. On the second day of the festivities, Gwede claims to have told the police about their situation, and plans were made to disperse the gathering.

“I have broken no rules. We made the announcement and invited people a long time ago, so these are not rumours. We advertised this and invited people to a wedding on December 28 and 29. We cut the numbers. When we sent the invitation, it was 100 on indoor event and 250 outdoor, OK. That is what we stuck to.”

“We were at the reception and at 20:00, new regulations are released, OK. So when new regulations are released at that time, people are not in front of the television, they are all over the show. It did not carry on Tuesday. On Tuesday is the day that we were managing people out of the event…”

Gwede Mantashe