Durban - More than 800 people have been arrested in roadblocks across KwaZulu-Natal for breaking the regulations, since the start of the Level 4 lockdown on Friday.
This is according to KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala, who said the numbers demonstrated that there were still people with no regard for the law in the province.
Zikalala, who was accompanied by transport, community safety and liaison MEC Bheki Ntuli, and economic development, tourism and environmental affairs MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube, was speaking during a multi-disciplinary law-enforcement roadblock at the Mariannhill Toll Plaza on the N3 yesterday.
“It’s important to indicate that, as we are on Level 4, it doesn’t mean that the regulations no longer apply. Level 4 doesn’t mean that people can go wherever they want to go; they need to produce a permit every time.
“We need to be aware that the virus is still here and it’s dangerous to people,” he said.
From Friday to Thursday, people were allowed to move around once from one area or province to another. That was meant for people who were not at their places of residence before the lockdown period - and who could not travel between provinces, metropolitan and district areas during the lockdown - to return to their homes.
Zikalala said that at all roadblocks representatives from the Health Department were on site to screen people to stop the spread of the virus.
“We will be able to screen many people in KZN through these roadblocks.
“We want to call on everyone to behave themselves and be responsible at this time. People need to understand that the lockdown is still in place to protect all citizens. We encourage people to adhere to every regulation,” said Zikalala.
He also inspected some businesses in the Pinetown area to check for compliance.
He said the next target was to move to the townships to enforce the regulations.
Meanwhile, Zikalala said, following engagements with the business community in eThekwini, it had became clear that the economic impact due to the virus was severe.
He urged the business sector to ensure the safety and security of their staff by providing the necessary personal protective equipment.