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By Botho Molosankwe 
1 hour ago
Johannesburg – Gauteng police have defended the arrest of a Wierdaburg father, Centurion, for violating the curfew after he allegedly went to a 24-hour pharmacy to buy milk formula for his newborn son in the early hours Friday morning.
The man’s attorney, Lily Rautenbach, said her client’s newborn was struggling to feed, prompting him to buy formula at the hospital pharmacy as it was the only service available 24 hours.
The spokesman for the civil rights organization Action Society, Daleen Gouws, said that although the father had provided the police with sufficient evidence of his whereabouts, “he was treated as a criminal and detained at the police station for hours.
“The police also refused to deliver the formula to his desperate wife and baby. She had to walk with the baby in the dark to the place of detention to collect the infant milk herself.
“Our hospitals are under immense pressure. Consequently, babies are discharged almost immediately after birth. It is extremely difficult for inexperienced new parents to determine what their baby’s needs will be.
“The government and the Department of Social Development urgently need to sit down to address the needs of vulnerable parties.”
Police spokeswoman Captain Mavela Masondo confirmed that the man was arrested and detained.
“He was arrested for violating the curfew under the National Disaster Management Act and taken to court. He was released with a warning on the same day as he appeared in court on January 18, 2021 at the Pretoria Court of First Instance.
While Gouws claimed the man provided the police with proof of purchase, Masondo said the police could not confirm this and that investigations were underway to verify the authenticity of the claim.
Regarding the allegation that the man’s wife was forced to walk in the dark with the baby to fetch the formula where her husband was, the spokesperson said that the police took him seriously and that the provincial commissioner, Lieutenant General Elias Mawela, ordered an investigation order in this regard.
Gouws has demanded that action be taken against the police officers involved.
MESS
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