‘No, he’s not kneeling, he’s disabled’
Minister responds after Twitter attack
Minister of communications Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams has come under attack after pictures of an old man seemingly kneeling before her went viral on Twitter.
However, she said the pictures were misinterpreted as the man is disabled and cannot walk. The pictures show the man kneeling before Ndabeni-Abrahams in two images, one taken inside a house and the other outside.
Ndabeni-Abrahams said the picture was taken around the end of 2018. “I was on a programme handing over Christmas parcels and heard about the man’s story, and I then committed a wheelchair which was later delivered.”
She also provided a picture which showed the man in a wheelchair. “This man cannot walk, he’s disabled that’s why he’s like that. This is a 2018 picture, he walks on knees,” she said. “When I saw the uproar on Twitter, I called GCIS and said: ‘guys please correct this’,’’ she said.
“Unfortunately I don’t have control of what they (GCIS) take and post. When I saw the uproar on Twitter, I called the DG of the GCIS and that’s all I can do,” she said.
Ndabeni-Abrahams said the elderly man, one of the recipients of food parcels delivered by her, walks on knees. “I had arrived at his home, and he was outside and I greeted him before we went inside the house,” she said.
She said she understands the misconception “because the picture tells a story if one doesn’t put a caption. If you don’t put a caption that makes people understand what’s happening... people will interpret in any manner”.
ANC’s Carl Niehaus was among those who criticised the picture, saying: “I find this phoChief to very disturbing. I have for years worked with Madiba and whenever something like this happened, and someone tried to kneel in front of him, he would ask that person (young or old) to stand up. Our leaders (especially such a young leader) should not allow this.”
Another Twitter user also remarked: “This is to be abhorred for it’s wrong on so many levels, an elder bowing before a child Stella Ndabeni who is a politician.”
‘ ‘ This man cannot walk, he’s disabled that’s why he’s like that