PICS: Empty malls, quiet streets amid Dolphin Coast lockdown

The normally bustling streets of the Dolphin Coast were eerily quiet last Friday as South Africans endured the first day of a 21-day lockdown attempting to stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.

Restaurants, fast-food outlets, pubs and bars sat closed and empty as President Cyril Ramaphosa ordered some 57 million people to only go outside when absolutely necessary.

In a televised address to the nation, the President announced that the lockdown which began at 12am on March 27 was necessary in order to save lives.

The health ministry confined people to their homes and imposed strict restrictions prohibiting jogging, dog-walking or the sale of non-essentials, including alcohol or cigarettes, across the country.

Earlier in the week, panicky North Coast residents stocked up on food, alcohol and other supplies with some large supermarkets running out of eggs and the staple maize meal.

Taxi owners have cried foul over the move to limit the number of passengers without subsidy for the loss of income.

New regulations state taxis cannot exceed 50 percent of their legal capacity.

Operating hours have also been restricted during the 21-day lockdown, allowing them to operate only from 5am to 9am and again from 4pm to 8pm.

An exception has been made to allow people to be transported to fetch social grants, so taxis can transport them from 8am to 5pm from March 30 to April 2.

Though the new lockdown restrictions have largely been embraced by the region, a number of people have flouted the new orders.

According to police reports, some residents in Etete, Groutville and Shaka’s Head have ignored the lockdown.

“People in the townships have been loitering, disregarding social distancing and not taking this seriously,” a police officer who did not wish to be named told the Courier.

An Etete resident said while a number of people were complying, many were ignoring the rules.

“Children are playing soccer in groups in the streets and there are still lots of people walking around,” she said.

The lockdown has imposed great hardships on many people living in cramped conditions in townships with no clean water or public health care.

iLembe district is a predominately rural region with 70 percent of people classified as indigent and receiving free basic services.

On Saturday, KZN premier Sihle Zikalala said the issue of water still remained a problem in many parts of the province and the provincial government was working to address it.

He said the provincial Department of Coopertive Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta) would a further 5 000 water tankers on the road.

“We are also all over KZN working with law enforcement agencies. The volume of cars is now down. We will be all over to ensure that we deal with people who are still driving up and down,” said Zikala.

“The majority of the people here have listened and are adhering to the lockdown but there are those who are seemingly not taking it seriously.”

Tongaat SAPS have taken a no-nonsense approach to the lockdown, holding roving roadblocks and ensuring compliance with government regulations 24 hours a day.

Col Santha Moodley has led her team to manage their precinct, having made 11 arrests from the start of the lockdown until now.

“Non-compliance and physical distancing is taken very seriously,” said Moodley.

“Trading of liquor, overloading taxis and non-confinement have been matters of concern and we have a zero-tolerance stand against this.”

All those arrested have since been released on bail of between R2 000 and R5 000.

Saps Umhlali spokesperson Captain Vinny Pillay said that in Ballito and the surrounding suburbs there has been a strong enforcement of the lockdown and the areas have been very quiet.

While the deadly virus was slow to take hold across South Africa, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases and deaths has gradually increased in recent days.

As of Monday the number of cases was standing at 1 326 with three confirmed deaths.

The public is advised to call the coronavirus hotline on 0800 029 999″ with any suspected cases of corona, or to report or obtain information relevant to the pandemic.

Violation of any of the regulations will carry a six-month jail sentence or a fine.

The lockdown continues until April 16.

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