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Police Minister Bheki Cele apologized to the Muslim community after a member of the South African Police Service (SAPS) insulted the Islamic prophet Muhammad on Friday in Mpumalanga.
In a video circulating on social media, a group of 24 Muslims can be seen in the prayers on Saturday before Ramadan without anyone observing any measure of social distancing.
The police can be heard punishing the group and informing them that they are all under arrest. A man who seems to explain something in mitigation is told, “You are an adult,” and is told that he blatantly ignores a measure decided by the country’s president.
“You mean the president is crazy?” the police ask in the video.
Controversially, one of the officers can be heard challenging the faithful with a comment that asks: “Are you greater than the President? Heh Or is Muhammad bigger than the President?
The group was arrested for violating the Covid-19 Disaster Management Blocking Regulations in connection with the ban on meetings.
Cele has issued an apology to the Muslim community for the “blasphemous” comments during the arrest.
“The comment made about the prophet Muhammad, which can be heard at the end of the video, is quite unfortunate and it is unacceptable that someone could make such a statement. Therefore, the SAPS administration has ordered that this matter also be investigated and that the people who made the comment on the Prophet be identified and brought to the book.
“Minister Cele wishes to emphasize that the police have a constitutional obligation to enforce the laws of the country, a duty that must be performed within the limits of the laws themselves, applied without prejudice to any gender, race or creed,” said SAPS in a statement.
The matter is currently under urgent investigation by SAPS to establish the identity of the person behind the comments.
Cele also reiterated the government’s call to religious leaders to guarantee a collective effort to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
This after a video clip went viral on social media showing a man cheering for “all Muslims …”. participate in worship in the congregation. “Later in the video, the same man offers free legal services to anyone who can be arrested for such a violation.
“The Minister later condemned this call that seeks to mobilize the public to challenge the laws of this country and undermine the authority of the State; and has called for an investigation into this matter.
“It is in this context that Minister Cele is reminding all citizens of the country to always be aware of the primary purpose of the Covid-19 Disaster Management Blocking Regulations, which is to protect South Africans from the corona virus.
“When people knowingly or inadvertently violate lockout regulations, the police have no choice but to enforce the law, where in some cases this means arresting people,” Cele said in a statement.
Also read: SAPS Orders Investigate Officer Who Made Demeaning Comments About Muhammad
The men were released on bail on Saturday.
Since the start of the long weekend, police have arrested 41 congregants at two separate religious gatherings, including the group in Mpumalanga.
In the first incident, members of the SAPS Tactical Response Team (TRT) arrested 17 men on Friday after parishioners gathered in a building in Pretoria West.
The 17 suspects are still in police custody while police await confirmation of their nationalities from the Internal Affairs department.
“They will be released on bail, issued with a fine or taken to court on Tuesday, April 28, 2020, depending on the outcome of the preliminary investigations,” SAPS said.
(Compiled by Vhahangwele Nemakonde)
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