According to a SAPS media statement on Sunday, a 23-year-old man was arrested after making a video in which he and his friend continuously swore, mocking the efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 while travelling through Pretoria. In the video he can be heard bragging about not complying to the laws that were put in place to contain the virus.
On 27 March, parts of the video went viral. “In one of the snippets, one man appears to be standing in front of a police station and continued swearing about the virus.”
The Police initiated an investigation and the suspect was found in the Lyttelton policing area in a residential complex. The suspect will most likely face charges of contravening Regulation 11B of the Disaster Management Act 2002.
“The arrest of this suspect as well as at least six other suspects that have been arrested for creating such videos and posting fake news, should be a reminder that the Security Forces enforcing the Regulations to contain the Covid-19 virus have the capacity and capability to identify those responsible for such transgressions, however long it may take.”
The suspect is currently in police custody and is expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday.
The SAPS says “the Regulations are being enforced not to punish people but to protect lives against this pandemic.”
