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A member of SANDF, with the police in the background.
Brenton Geach, Gallo Images
- The SANDF can be deployed to assist law enforcement in enforcing tight Level 3 lockdown regulations.
- Police Minister Bheki Cele revealed that they were in talks with SANDF about possible assistance.
- The new regulations include the prohibition of alcohol, beaches and parks at access points and the mandatory use of masks in public areas.
The redeployment of South African Defense Force (SANDF) soldiers to help police enforce tight Level 3 lockdown regulations is in the cards.
This according to Police Minister Bheki Cele, who was briefing the media, along with other members of the National Coronavirus Command Council, about the new regulations published under the Disaster Management Act on Tuesday.
On Monday night, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the country would return to level 3 of the blockade with a series of tight regulations. This move was in response to the rise in Covid-19 infections as the country entered the holiday season.
The adjusted regulations included a ban on all social gatherings, including religious gatherings, political events and traditional council meetings, while beaches and parks have been closed in areas identified as hotspots. The ban on the sale and distribution of alcohol has also been reintroduced for the third time since the strict lockdown began in March, with a tighter curfew and the wearing of masks made mandatory in public areas.
While wearing masks has become mandatory under new Disaster Management Act regulations, it only becomes a criminal offense if you do not wear a mask after a law enforcement official instructs you to do so.
READ | SANDF Troops Return to Barracks After Covid-19 Blockade Deployment
Cele said talks are underway on redeploying soldiers to help police enforce tight regulations.
Explaining that SANDF’s rollout would not be on the same scale the county saw during the tough shutdown earlier this year, Cele said: “When police feel the need for them to need additional assistance, that will be done.
He added that he had already spoken with Defense Minister Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula and that meetings were taking place between the SANDF chief of operations and the acting national police commissioner. Cele also assured South Africans that the police would enforce the new regulations and that police brutality would not be tolerated.
However, Cele urged South Africans to adhere to the new regulations so that police do not have to waste time chasing people for violating the Disaster Management Act.
Regarding the prohibition of alcoholic beverages, the minister said that the police would be tough on people who tried to sell alcoholic beverages on the black market and that if any establishment was found selling alcohol, their operating licenses would be taken away and criminal charges against the owners.
“Don’t put alcohol in teapots in the restaurant, don’t put alcohol in bottles that say zero alcohol, we know your tricks,” Cele warned.
Additionally, he urged people to inform anyone not to isolate themselves after testing positive for Covid-19. He said such incidents are criminal and will be dealt with seriously by the police.
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