New Zealand’s health minister Dr David Clark has been reprimanded and demoted by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern following embarrassing revelations that he broke the country’s restrictions on non-essential movement intended to fight the spread of the coronavirus.
Also in hot water is South Africa’s communications minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, whom President Cyril Ramaphosa put on special leave for two months, one unpaid, after a photograph was published online showing her having lunch with former Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Training Mduduzi Manana at Manana’s home. She also made a public apology.
Ramaphosa said: ‘None of us – not least a member of the National Executive – should undermine our national effort to save lives in this very serious situation. I am satisfied that Minister Ndabeni-Abrahams appreciates the seriousness of what she has done and that no-one is above the law.’
In New Zealand, Clark admitted to having gone mountain biking, and having driven his family to a beach some 20 km from his home to go for a walk.
He accepted responsibility for his actions, and offered his resignation, saying: ‘I’ve been an idiot.’
Ms Ardern said that she would have fired him under normal circumstances, but given the imperative of combating the pandemic, she chose not to risk disruption. He was, however, stripped of his position as associate finance minister and demoted to the bottom of the cabinet rankings.
In Scotland, chief medical officer Dr Catherine Calderwood resigned for violating the country’s lockdown to visit her second home.