Ladysmith Police have arrested 29 people at a local shisa nyama for not adhering to Covid-19 regulations and being out after the curfew. The arrests were carried out during police operations in the town. Among those arrested were teenagers, after police found them drinking alcohol and dancing in Kandahar Avenue at around 10.30pm on Friday night, 25 June.
They were not wearing masks and the party-goers asked the police why they were being arrested. “We are not doing anything wrong, so why are we being arrested like criminals,” added one. The shisa nyama was also shut down and police were looking for the owner of the establishment. Brigadier Francis Bantham said this was an ongoing problem and that people needed to adhere to the restrictions. “You have been told by the President to stay at home or be home by 10pm, but you are not listening,” said Bantham. Last week South Africa tightened coronavirus restrictions, extending the curfew and limiting alcohol sales in the face of a surge in infections over the past weeks. The 29 arrested have received a R1 500 fine and will be able to contest it in the Ladysmith Magistrate’s Court after 21 days. Bantham said with the move to alert level 4, police will be watching over the Ladysmith community to ensure that all regulations and curfews are adhered to. “Our communities need to take responsibility for their own safe keeping and listen to the President, let us be part of the solution and not add to the problem by increasing the number of new Covid infections.” The Delta variant has been detected in six districts of KwaZulu-Natal. These districts are Harry Gwala, eThekwini, Zululand, King Cetshwayo, Ugu and Ilembe according to the Premier of KwaZulu-Natal, Sihle Zikalala. “We have developed our battle plan against this deadly variant. It all starts with acting and acting fast; and obeying all the Covid-19 protocols and alert level 4 regulations,” said Premier Zikalala.
Zikalala added that the office of the premier welcomed the scientific reports that show that the vaccines which are being rolled out in the country, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson, are more effective against the Delta variant when compared to previous variants. “We are also told that the vaccines have an 89% efficacy when it comes to protection against severe symptoms of Covid-19.” The premier has also said that there is a resurgence of the virus in five districts, namely eThekwini, uThukela, uMgungundlovu, Amajuba and Umzinyathi. “It is now a race against the third wave for us in these districts.” The KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Commissioner, Lieutenant General Nhlanhla Mkhwanazi, has expressed his concern that a large number of citizens in the province have been arrested on a daily basis for not conforming with the adjusted alert level 3 lockdown regulations despite pleas from government and the health sector for compliance.
“Since the announcement of the latest level 3 lockdown regulations, we have stepped up our daily operations focused on ensuring that all the citizens in the province comply with the regulations to stem the spread of the Covid-19 virus. In light of the President’s announcement last night, that the country has moved to an adjusted alert level 4 lockdown, we are once again urging citizens to comply with the regulations as law enforcement officers continue to work around the clock with all other government departments to protect communities from being exposed to the Covid-19 virus,” he said. KZN Police spokesperson, Brigadier Jay Naicker, said co-ordinated multi-disciplinary operations are being conducted simultaneously across the province, focusing on hotspot areas and those areas where reports of non-compliance are received. Police are appealing to anyone with information with regards to contraventions of the adjusted alert level 4 lockdown regulations to contact Crime Stop on 08600-10111 or to report contraventions anonymously via the MySAPS app.
