THE City’s Metro Police Unit have urged the community to abide by the national lockdown regulations as those caught will be prosecuted.
The Municipality has undertaken a zero-tolerance approach and will not hesitate to charge non-complaint members of the public.
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President Cyril Ramaphosa imposed the lockdown to curb the spread of the Coronavirus, declared as a global disaster.
The national lockdown regulation falls under the Disaster Management Act 57/2002.
All citizens are instructed to stay within the confines of their homes unless it is to access essential services like purchasing groceries or acquiring medical services. All gatherings are strictly prohibited.
Officers have been deployed to all areas of the City and numerous people were arrested as a result of leaving their homes for non-essential reasons.
A video depicting a dispute between Metro Police officers and members of the Newlands community has since gone viral on social media. Head of Metro Police, Steve Middleton, responded: “We would like to clarify that the police officers were in pursuit of two suspects in a vehicle in the Pinetown area. Their chase led them to the Newlands area where the perpetrators had mobilised community members to attack the officers present. This is unacceptable behaviour. Everyone needs to abide by the lockdown. Situations like these make the work of essential service employees more difficult and exposes both officers and members of the community to potential risks.”
Middleton also urged people to stop spreading false messages on social media.
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).
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