by Thinus Ferreira
The reality TV star and choreographer Somizi Mhlongo has been charged after appearing at the Sandton police station and granted R1 500 bail pending a court appearance for allegedly spreading Covid-19 fake news during South Africa's national lockdown period to try and curb the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.
South Africa's minister of transport, Fikile Mbalula on Friday opened a case against Somizi Mhlongo for allegedly flouting the 21-day Covid-19 coronavirus national lockdown regulations by creating and spreading fake news and misinformation.
Somizi Mhlongo was charged in terms of regulation 11(5)(c) of the Disaster Management Act, in relation to publishing any statement through any medium including social media with the intention to deceive any other person about measures by the government to address Covid-19.
It followed after Dineo Ranaka did an Instagram Live broadcast on Thursday morning in which Somizi Mhlongo was heard saying that Fikile Mbalula told him that president Cyril Ramaphosa would extend the country's national lockdown for a further two weeks before Ramaphosa made the announcement in his Thursday night live televised address.
Fikile Mbalula said he never spoke to Somizi Mhlongo about an extension of South Africa's national lockdown situation, with Mhlongo who has since apologised on social media and said that he was just joking and that he "did not know about the extension just like everybody else" and that "I apologise to the minister for such a dangerous statement".
Somizi Mhlongo is an Idols judge and star of the reality show Living the Dream with Somizi on MultiChoice's Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) channel and earlier this year shared his wedding build-up and ceremony on MultiChoice's Showmax streaming service in the series Somizi & Mohale: The Union. He is also a presenter on the SABC's Metro FM radio station.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo says Somizi Mhlongo was charged and released after paying R1 500 bail pending a court appearance. "He was charged and released on R1 500 bail and is expected to make a court appearance on 3 July 2020."
Meanwhile the SABC is doing it's own internal investigation into Somizi Mhlongo's conduct.
"This matter has been referred to the law enforcement authorities and we will let the process unfold. In line with our internal processes, we will also engage Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung, investigate the matter and will be guided by our policies on an appropriate action to be taken," Mmoni Seapolelo, SABC spokesperson told TVwithThinus.
"The SABC regrets the incident concerning Metro FM on-air personality, Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung. Although Somizi Mhlongo-Motaung's utterances were not part of the broadcast of his programme on Metro FM, we would like to put it on record that we do not tolerate any behaviour that is in contravention with the government's regulations under the Disaster Management Act on fake news and information peddling," says Mmoni Seapolelo.
Philly Kubheka, Mzansi Magic spokesperson, told TVwithThinus that M-Net doesn't have any comment and will not be doing any investigations on Somizi.
The Somizi Mhlongo case is the latest high-profile case of people who got into trouble for allegedly flouting rules of South Africa's national lockdown period.
While the country's communications minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, wasn't charged, president Cyril Ramaphosa last week placed her on 2 months "special leave", one month of which will be unpaid, after an image was posted publicly of her doing lunch at the home of South Africa's former deputy minister of higher education and training, Mduduzi Manana.
The Bachelor South Africa's bachelor Marc Buckner of the second season of the reality show screened on M-Net (DStv 101) said last week Wednesday that he was allegedly arrested for allegedly violating the national lockdown regulations and fined R1 500 after he was walking back home from shopping.
Police spokesperson Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo said that he couldn't confirm whether Marc Bucker was arrested or not but said if a member of the public receives a lockdown period fine and want to challenge that they’re welcome to go to court.
"A written J534 fine you don’t have to pay it if you feel that you have been in any way prejudiced or you feel that you were not given the fine justifiably. Then you can go to court and challenge that."
Last week Tuesday the Durbanville man, Steven Birch appeared in the Cape Town magistrate's court after a case was opened against him for allegedly spreading fake news about Covid-19. In a widely-shared video message on social media he falsely claimed that the South African government's coronavirus testing kits were contaminated and will infect people.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: South Africa's transport minister Fikile Mbalula lays charge against reality TV star Somizi Mhlongo for allegedly spreading Covid-19 fake news.
ALSO READ: Coronavirus: The SABC investigating Somizi Mhlongo over his Covid-19 'dangerous joke' fake news.
