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Poet Lebo Mashile gets backlash after she announces she's been vaccinated for Covid-19

13 May 2021 - 14:15 By deepika naidoo
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The internet was fuming at the news of Lebo Mashile being vaccinated against the coronavirus.
The internet was fuming at the news of Lebo Mashile being vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Image: Instagram/Lebo Mashile

Poet and activist Lebo Mashile has left the internet hot under the collar after announcing that she was vaccinated against Covid-19, in a country where the vaccine is not yet available for most people.

In a thread on Twitter, the star encouraged others to get vaccinated after her own experience at Baragwanath hospital in Johannesburg. 

“Getting the vaccine does not make me immune to Covid-19. I still have to play it safe by wearing a mask in public, social distancing, and sanitising my hands. Being vaccinated means that should I contract Covid-19, I won’t end up in hospital on a ventilator, and I will not die. I’ll live,” she wrote.

In the thread, the star also explained how she had access to the vaccine as they are presently only available to front-line and essential workers.

Lebo said that she has been advocating online for access to vaccines for the marginalised across the country with an organisation called African Alliance, and that it was through them that she had access to the vaccine.

The star has been keeping fans updated on how the vaccine has been affecting her after receiving it. 

However, hordes of tweeps were not impressed and criticised the move, questioning, questioning how the star got access to the vaccine even though she is not a front-line worker.

The star's name quickly made its way onto the Twitter trends list as social media users voiced their anger, here are some of the responses:

Lebo hit back at the criticism, saying she shared her story in the interest of transparency. 

“These tweets are a part of my social activism. I’m not getting any money for them. I also have elderly relatives and loved ones with core morbidities who are waiting for the vaccine. I made the decision to do this and share it in the interest of transparency and inspiring others,” said Lebo.

TshisaLIVE reached out to Lebo for further comment, however she had not responded by the time of publishing. 

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