Centurion dad arrested for buying formula during curfew sues cops

A Centurion man intends filing a lawsuit against the South African Police Service (SAPS) and two of its members after he was arrested for violating the curfew when he rushed to go and buy milk for his newborn baby.

“We are going to proceed with a civil claim against the relevant police officers and we are filing a formal complaint at the police commissioner and other relevant authorities,” the man’s lawyer Lily Rautenbach said during a media briefing alongside Afriforum on Monday, 18 January 2021.

The man, Naas Le Roux was arrested in Centurion in the wee hours of Thursday, 7 January 2021, after buying formula. At the time, his wife had just given birth to their baby at the Unitas Hospital.

Nabbed for breaking curfew – Centurion dad left ‘traumatised’

According to Afriforum, Le Roux’s wife struggled to breastfeed the baby, prompting him to dash to the hospital’s pharmacy, in the middle of the night. Police stopped him on the way back and he subsequently spent a night in custody.

His wife was forced to walk to the scene, with her baby, to fetch his car as well as the formula.

As per the curfew under Level 3 of the lockdown, people are not allowed outdoors between 21:00 and 05:00, with the exception of permitted workers and for medical and security emergencies.

The head of Afriforum’s private prosecution unit Gerrie Nel has taken issue with the officers’ conduct.

“The purpose of the regulations is not, as Police Minister Bheki Cele proudly announced, to burden 7 000 people with criminal records because they are not wearing masks, but to lighten the burden on hospitals by stopping the spread of the virus,” he said.

While the case against him was withdrawn, Le Roux said he was still traumatised by the incident.

“It was very disappointing to see what the police did. When you expect them to help you, it’s really the opposite. We hope to move on. We take it day by day. It’s something you wish to forget, but it sticks in your mind … when you are at work, when you see other police vehicles going past you,”

Naas Le Roux