Arrests, fines handed out as South Africans disobey lockdown rules

Police had to use rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of about 200 people outside at a shopping centre in Yeoville in inner-city Johannesburg on Saturday. The gathering was a violation of one of the rules placed down as government sets about trying to reduce the spread of the COVID-19.

The South African Police Service (SAPS), operating alongside the South African National Defence Force (SANDF), have been tasked with enforcing the special regulations that come with the 21-day period.

South Africans struggle to obey lockdown regulations

As AFP reports, the shoppers were not observing the social distancing measures, placing themselves at risk of contracting the deadly virus.

Police Minister Bheki Cele revealed earlier on Saturday that 55 arrests had been made, and the number has grown as of Sunday.

A number of those nabbed for not complying with the regulations were in Mpumalanga.

According to officials in the province, over 20 arrests have been made.

“We are in the region of 20 to 25 people that we have arrested,” Police Provincial Commissioner Mondli Zuma told the SABC. “We are busy with operations in the arteries that come into the province and out. We are also manning roadblocks. In some instances we have got teams that are around the townships which are joined forces between the SANDF and the South African Police Service.”

Fines handed out in Port Elizabeth

Elsewhere, HeraldLive reports that five Port Elizabeth motorists were fined for exceeding the 60% capacity rule imposed during the lockdown. Another person to receive a fine was a pedestrian, who could not provide a valid reason for being out and about. All were fined R5 000.

While the police and the army have been highly visible in areas affected heavily by the virus, their absence in some has meant that life carried on uninterrupted in other locations, such as Masiphumelele, near Fish Hoek in Cape Town.

Residents in the township have complained that their streets continued to be packed, with some people drinking publicly.

“As long as my neighbours are not putting the measures into place for us to safeguard each other from coronavirus,” a resident told SABC. “I will still be exposed since my neighbourhood is full of people who are not even adhering to staying at home because people seem not to care at all about this. I really feel scared and I fear for my life.”

South Africa has the highest number of confirmed cases in the continent, with 1 187 infections and one death reported.