Seventeen arrested in Pretoria West during religious gathering
“All 17 are still in police custody as we await confirmation on their nationalities from the department of home affairs.”
Police on Friday arrested 17 men for contravening the lockdown regulations at a mosque in Pretoria West.
The arrest was made by the police’s tactical response team at around 13:00, according to police spokesperson Brigadier Vish Naidoo.
“The congregants were arrested in what appeared to be a religious gathering,” he said.
“All 17 are still in police custody as we await confirmation on their nationalities from the department of home affairs.
“They will either be released on bail, issued with a fine, and or taken to court on Tuesday 28 April, depending on the outcome of the preliminary investigations.”
Naidoo said video footage, which has gone viral on social media platforms, was not of the Pretoria West arrest but of another incident where 24 congregants were arrested in the Mbuzini policing jurisdiction of Mpumalanga.
Here is the video depicting the Mpumalanga arrest:
“Contrary to various reports, it was these arrests, and not the Pretoria incident, that were captured on video.”
Naidoo said comments in the video made about prophet Mohammed were “unfortunate and unacceptable”.
“People of all religious denominations, particularly religious leaders, are once again urged to ensure total compliance of the disaster management regulations act which are being implemented to combat the Covid-19 virus.”
Meanwhile, police minister Bheki Cele also again called on religious leaders to discourage gatherings during the lockdown.
“When people, wittingly or unwittingly, violate the lockdown regulations, police are left with no choice but to enforce the law,” said Cele.
“This global pandemic demands that we all make huge sacrifices, making drastic adjustments to the way we live under normal circumstances.
“So, the sooner we accept that these are abnormal times, the closer we can all get to possible solutions towards eradicating the coronavirus once and for all.”
ALSO READ: Man fatally injured in Centurion accident
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
