Man arrested after breaking lockdown rules in viral video
The video was investigated and the suspect was traced and found inside a residential complex in the Lyttelton area.
Picture: iStock.
The South African Police Services (SAPS) has arrested a 23-year-old man from Pretoria for allegedly contravening the regulations of the national 21-day lockdown.
The suspect is likely to face charges of at least contravening Regulation 11B of the Disaster Management Act 2002.
Little snippets of a video, in which two young men were seen travelling around Pretoria with one of them continuously swearing, mocking efforts to curb the Covid-19 virus and bragging they do not comply with laws put in place to contain the virus, went viral.
In one of the snippets, one man appears to be standing in front of a police station and swearing about the virus.
The one man says, in Afrikaans, among other things: “F*k corona, ma se p**s, ons worry nie!”
The video was investigated and the suspect was traced and found inside a residential complex in the Lyttelton policing area.
He is currently in police custody and he is expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court on Monday, 6 April.
“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 police said in a statement.
People are urged to view the scourge of Covid-19 virus seriously as thousands of people globally have lost their lives this to this plague.
“The regulations are being enforced not to punish people but to protect lives against this pandemic,” the police said.
RT die twee gomgate moet gestop word. #lockDownSouthAfrica @SAPoliceService pic.twitter.com/VDfvki220u
— badboerGrandpa (@BadboerGrandpa) March 29, 2020
#NATJOINTS Pretoria man (23) was arrested in after mocking video goes viral, arrested for allegedly contravening Regulations of Disaster Management Act 2002. He is currently in police custody and he is expected to appear in the Pretoria Magistrates’ Court tomorrow. #COVID19 SW pic.twitter.com/tpUWLg2rJg
— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) April 5, 2020
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