Many suspected that the picture was of Mbalula receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, which only arrived in the country last week. The minister was questioned as to why he received the shot ahead of health workers, who were the first in line as part of government's vaccine rollout strategy.
But Mbalula told SowetanLIVE's sister publication TimesLIVE on Sunday morning that the picture was just him having fun.
“It's an old pic. Humorous,” he said via text message. “I took vaccine for yellow fever many a time.”
Asked if he was also encouraging people to take the Covid-19 vaccine when it became available, he simply said: “Yes.”
TimesLIVE
It's all in good fun, says Mbalula over 'old' vaccine pic
Transport minister Fikile Mbalula on Sunday had Twitter tongues wagging when he posted a picture of himself getting vaccinated.
Posted without context or comment, the picture — which showed a grimacing Mbalula receiving an injection in his right arm — was captioned simply: “Vaccine”.
Many suspected that the picture was of Mbalula receiving the Covid-19 vaccine, which only arrived in the country last week. The minister was questioned as to why he received the shot ahead of health workers, who were the first in line as part of government's vaccine rollout strategy.
But Mbalula told SowetanLIVE's sister publication TimesLIVE on Sunday morning that the picture was just him having fun.
“It's an old pic. Humorous,” he said via text message. “I took vaccine for yellow fever many a time.”
Asked if he was also encouraging people to take the Covid-19 vaccine when it became available, he simply said: “Yes.”
TimesLIVE