Lolo Madonsela
Liquor outlets in AbaQulusi are still under strict surveillance by police, as pressure mounts from community members who want alcohol.
SAPS in Vryheid, eMondlo, Ngome and Louwsburg are ensuring that all liquor outlets do not break the lockdown rules by selling alcohol directly or via the ‘backdoor’.
Approximately 20 people were arrested last week for breaking lockdown rules, and the SAPS expressed its frustration during the Joint Operations Committee (JOC) meeting last week that the increase in the number of arrests is leading to overcrowding in holding cells.
The station commanders of the four police stations said they were now relying mostly on issuing a ‘496’, where a person is released with a court date (with consultation with the prosecutor).
Police also indicated that they relied on issuing a ‘J70’, which is an admission of guilt, in order to make room for more arrests, as they were running out of space to keep lawbreakers (not just regarding Covid-19 regulations, but also other crimes not related to the lockdown).
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Police officers are also keeping a close eye on schools, as there have been a number of break-ins at schools countrywide.
During the JOC meeting, Municipal Manager Bonga Ntanzi announced that they had received a donation of hand-wash stations which will be installed at the eMondlo and Louwsburg taxi ranks, Licensing Department and AbaQulusi Municipality to assist with sanitizing.
He also said they were continuing to sanitize ATMs, taxi ranks and other community areas.
The Department of Employment & Labour indicated that they had visited farms that were allegedly not adhering to lockdown regulations, and had developed a plan to continuously monitor the level of compliance at all workplaces.
Falakhe Dladla from the Vryheid Department of Labour said that since lockdown began (up until April 29), they have processed about R2.4 million from online applications by employers with 721 clients.
He also mentioned that there were claims that could not be finalised due to missing information and that employers could not be accessed due to the lockdown.
The taxi association requested public toilets for females to be installed at the long-distance rank, as women struggle to use those facilities.
Weekly, the JOC continues to screen people, conduct cleanliness awareness, educate people about the virus, and monitor supermarkets to check if they have not inflated prices and are not selling expired goods.
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