Update: Police crack down on Hillbrow and Yeoville residents not complying with lockdown regulations
HILLBROW – Tensions have flared between police and non-compliant community members.
Police have been actively enforcing the lockdown rules in Hillbrow and Yeoville.
While the Chief of the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Service tweeted that operations officers were out in full force, ensuring that compliance was adhered to at the MTN and Bree Street taxi ranks in Joburg’s CBD on the second day of lockdown, it seems some were still not complying in neighbouring areas.
Some have taken to Twitter to report that residents in areas of Yeoville, Troyville and Malvern were not complying with the lockdown rules.
Please also monitor Yeoville, Troyville and Malvern. People are not complying.
— Alison Roberts (@AlisonClaireRob) March 28, 2020
The same was seen on the first day of lockdown, and police were on the streets trying to get the crowds to comply.
A News24 reporter was filming on the streets of Yeoville yesterday, 27 March, when police fired rubber bullets in a bid to disperse a loitering crowd. On the video, the reporter can be heard shouting to police, ‘I’m media’. The reporter was not injured in the incident and according to the news website’s report, the police had apparently explained afterwards that they were ‘struggling to keep everyone indoors’. A formal complaint to police has reportedly been written by the South African National Editors’ Forum (Sanef).
Tensions also flared in Hillbrow on the first day of lockdown between police and non-compliant residents.
Police clamped down on a number of clubs and pubs that did not adhere to the lockdown rules and sold alcohol to patrons until the early hours of 27 March.
The arrests have started. These people were still partying it up at the club in hillbrow #COVID19SouthAfrica #SouthAfricaLockdown pic.twitter.com/f8FivXSpGq
— 🇿🇦 (@Don_sech) March 26, 2020
ALSO READ: Covid-19: Taxi industry experiences teething problems on day one of lockdown
News reporting club owners just arrested in hillbrow for not closing down and folks rocking. Clearly this is all a joke to some people #SouthAfricaLockdown
— UNITY.LOVE (@BridgeBossTLee) March 26, 2020
Police continued their crackdown in the afternoon, using teargas to disperse a large crowd that had congregated on the street.
AND SO IT BEGINS…WHEN A COMMUNITY DOES NOT HEED CALL TO ISOLATION : HILLBROW. JHB. GP. pic.twitter.com/CorNRBvmYa
— REZA (@crimeairnetwork) March 27, 2020
As #Day1of21 of #SAlockdown continues, the Hillbrow Taxi Rank and Traders Market is scheduled to undergo sanitization. #1of21daylockdownSA #WeServeJoburg pic.twitter.com/iw2WGDke2e
— Joburg Property Company SOC Ltd (JPC) (@jhbproperty) March 27, 2020
Displaced people were also removed from the sidewalks and taken to temporary housing units for the homeless.
So people in Hillbrow are ignoring the lockdown 🙄
— Lerato Ngobeni (@Ms_LeratoN) March 27, 2020
Police just sjamboked some dude in Hillbrow, the ones in black car. #Day1ofLockdown
— Prue🧑🏫MARUMO@Osujie🇿🇦🇳🇬🇸🇽¿Qùé Pasà? (@PruddyOsuji_xo) March 27, 2020
#covid19 it must be very difficult to manage the lockdown on the Hillbrow flats, can u imagine the caos inside those flats…
— Bafana Maseko (@BafanaMaseko20) March 27, 2020
https://twitter.com/Vovo35461241/status/1243502501401366529?s=20
Related article:
https://northeasterntribune.co.za/263029/no-dramatic-incidents-reported-norwood-surrounds-first-day-lockdown/
https://northeasterntribune.co.za/263008/covid-19-taxi-industry-experiences-teething-problems-day-one-lockdown/
https://northeasterntribune.co.za/262844/first-person-cuffed-cycling-joburg-freeway-lockdown/
