Covid-19: Gauteng deploys community patrollers to ensure citizens comply with lockdown regulations
GAUTENG – The 3 000 community patrollers will be joined by CPFs and will assist in managing queues in malls, shopping centres and all other hotspots during the 21 days of lockdown.
Thousands of community patrollers have been deployed in Gauteng in a bid to get citizens to comply with the lockdown regulations.
This comes after many Gauteng citizens failed to comply with the lockdown rules on day one, and to some extent, day two of the lockdown. On day one in areas of Hillbrow, Yeoville, Diepsloot, Alex, Tembisa and Zandspruit, crowds gathered in the streets and many queued at the shops.
Read more: Alex councillors, police worried about residents’ poor compliance with lockdown rules
The same happened in Alex on the second day of lockdown yesterday, 28 March.
Read more: Crowds, traffic return to Alex streets on day two of national lockdown
Also read: Update: Police crack down on Hillbrow and Yeoville residents not complying with lockdown regulations
The non-compliance of lockdown regulations by some citizens has resulted in the Gauteng Executive Council, led by Premier David Makhura, taking the decision to deploy 3 000 community patrollers to monitor citizens. These community patrollers form part of the Gauteng Provincial Government Essential Services team, and all Community Policing Forums (CPFs) will also be activated to assist.
The CPFs and community patrollers will manage queues in malls, shopping centres and all other hotspots during the 21 days of lockdown.
City of Joburg Council speaker, Nonceba Molwele, has also raised concerns that citizens were violating the lockdown regulations and called on councillors to ensure the measures were implemented. “We should also educate our communities about this deadly pandemic. It cannot be taken for granted. Where necessary we should liaise with law enforcement to restore order,” said Molwele.
She added that the legislature was communicating with councillors across the city to ensure they were monitoring their respective wards and called on them to use electronic communication to disseminate crucial messages and avoid physical contact. “The sooner we adhere to regulations, the sooner we will combat the spread of this deadly virus and return to normal life. As communities of Johannesburg, we have to play our part to stop the virus from claiming any more lives.”
Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news
Dear reader,
As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as “fake news”) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.
Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za).
