Two arrested for Covid-19 funeral violations released on warning
Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said a number of other video clips related to the same funeral service were circulating on social media.
A 33-year-old woman and a family member of a person who was buried in Soshanguve on Friday, have been released on police warning after allegedly contravening Covid-19 regulations during the funeral service.
This comes after police traced and arrested the woman in Mabopane after she appeared on a video clip daring police to ‘stand aside and leave us to bury the deceased’ during the funeral.
The family member was arrested for failing to ensure adherence to the regulations by the mourners, according to police. Brigadier Mathapelo Peters said a number of other video clips related to the same funeral service were circulating on social media.
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“These videos also confirm that the number of mourners in attendance was by far in excess of the regulated limit of 50 people.”
At the same time, police have also charged in terms of the disaster management act, a family member of the deceased in their capacity as the organiser of the funeral service, for failing to ensure adherence to the regulations by the mourners.
Peters said areas such as Ga-Rankuwa and Soshanguve have this past week, been cited by the provincial health department as among those topping the list of Covid-19 hotspots in the province.
“It is with this in mind that security forces in the province are tightening measures to enforce the regulations.”
Acting provincial commissioner of police Major-General Johan Ndlovu said the regulations were in place to protect human lives during the coronavirus pandemic and not to punish people.
“People losing their lives to the virus is no joke,” he said.
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“Anyone who deliberately flouts the regulations exposes those around them to a high risk of contracting the virus.”
“In fact, mourners who do not fall within the list of persons permitted to attend funerals during the lockdown place an unnecessary extra burden on the grieving family who deserve the space to give their loved ones a dignified send-off, without the added responsibility of ensuring compliance to regulations during the funeral.”
Ndlovu commended members of the public who continued to volunteer information to the police where they observed incidents of contravention of regulations.
The woman was due back in court on 3 September, while the family member would appear on 24 August at the Soshanguve magistrate’s court.
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