MBOMBELA – All police stations in the province will remain operational during the Covid-19 lockdown period. This announcement was made by the Mpumalanga provincial commisioner, Lt-Gen Mondli Zuma after fake news did the rounds on social media indicating that the Witbank Police Station was closed for the duration of the lockdown.
Zuma made an urgent appeal to the public and called for a stop to the spread of false news during this period.
“The country is faced with a serious challenge at this point in time but people choose to use this as an opportunity to play games and spread false news.
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“People must know that spreading false news is an offense that is punishable by law and those who participate in
such activities will be dealt with accordingly.
“As police, our duty is to stamp the authority of the state and as such, police stations are essential facilities which play a critical role in the fight against crime and therefore will not close shop.
“We cannot afford to have people who maliciously distribute deceptive information to the public, our services are
continuously needed by the community and we are always there to provide such services to them,” said Zuma.
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He added that police would be working closely with other law enforcement agencies to ensure compliance with
Covid-19 lockdown regulations.
Zuma also noted that police were concerned by the number of children sent by adults to purchase groceries at shops.
Another concern was adults queuing at the shops, accompanied by their children. He called for a stop to this practice as it put the children at risk of contracting Covid-19.
