Home Affairs Minister Malusi Gigaba has publicly apologised after a “video containing material of a sexual nature” intended only for his wife and himself emerged on social media.
In a several tweets on Sunday morning, Gigaba said, “My wife and I have learned, with regret and sadness, that a video containing material of a sexual nature, meant for our eyes only, which was stolen when my communication got illegally intercepted/my phone got hacked, in 2016/17, is circulating among certain political figures…
(AP Photo/Themba Hadebe)
“This video has been at the centre of a number of blackmail and extortion attempts, dating back to the period immediately following my appointment as Minister of Finance, on 31 March 2017, all of which I have steadfastly refused to entertain…
“These blackmail/extortion attempts as well as the illegal interception of my communication/hacking of my phone have all been reported to the relevant law enforcement/intelligence agencies and I am advised that the resultant investigations are still continuing…
“I take this opportunity to publicly apologise, in advance, to the rest of my family – especially my kids, my mom and my in-laws – and the South African public for the pain and embarrassment the likely wider distribution of this private material will cause…
“I hope our nation will, someday, constructively engage with the question of whether it is correct to condone and promote the gross invasion of the privacy of others by distributing such material, more especially in the clear absence of a public interest justification…,” he tweeted.
Twitter Reacts:
In all honesty, Norma Gigaba deserves way much better. She is way too intelligent and beautiful to constantly put up with being embarrassed and made a fool of by her husband’s inability to keep his pants up and his zip closed. Just saying. #MalusiGigaba
