Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Democratic Alliance leader Zwakele Mncwango has urged the province’s citizens to adhere to the rules of the 21-day lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus and to prevent the lockdown period from being extended.
Mncwango’s warning comes in the wake of numerous reports of arrests of people who have failed to abide by the rules put in place by the government for the 21 day lockdown in order to combat the spread of Covid-19.
South Africa on Monday had 1280 confirmed Covid-19 cases and two deaths which resulted from the coronavirus.
“As the DA in the province we are happy that a lot of people in the province have shown that they are obedient to the stay at home rules during this 21-day lockdown, however that doesn’t mean that everybody has been doing the right thing.
“We have seen that there are those people who have continuously been breaking the laws that have been put in place. We want to warn people that the rules have not been put in place because the government wants to abuse them, it’s a way to protect all our people here in South Africa and in KwaZulu-Natal,” Mncwango said.
He urged the province’s citizens to abide by the laws that have been put in place by the government instead of crowding the cities and leaving their places of residences and travelling to other places because they want to spite the government.
Mncwango added that the rules were simply to protect people from the virus that the government was trying to combat hence they wanted the people of the province and the country at large to adhere to the rules by staying at home.
“People should only really leave their homes if they are going to the shops to buy food and when it is really items that they really need and not just to see what would be said or done if they leave their homes. So we really urge our people to abide by the law.
“We are also aware that there are people who have been arrested because they have broken these laws, such as the case here in Nongoma (Northern KZN) where we have heard that a pastor was arrested because yesterday (Sunday) he decided to continue with a service that ended up having over 150 congregants,” Mncwango said.
He commended the police in Nongoma for making the swift arrest upon learning of the incident, although the pastor has since been released on R1000 bail.
He urged people to see the arrest in Nongoma as an indication that the law will be tightened all over the country.
“We also wish to send our condolences to the family of the 74 year-old male who died in Ladysmith due to the coronavirus. We also wish to ask our people to continue praying because the situation we are facing is a problem for the entire world and needs us to be united as a country and to pray within our homes and not force ourselves to meet for prayer,” said Mncwnago.
The Department of Health said that the 74-year old had been in ICU and on ventilation in a private hospital in Ladysmith.
“He travelled to Kruger National Park with his family and came back with flu-like symptoms. He was confirmed to be Covid-19 positive on the 27th of March,” the department said on Twitter.
Mncwango added that for the lockdown to be effective so that it will be ended people needed to stay at home as this was the only way that would help to stop the spread of the virus. He said people should also adhere to the rules such as regularly washing and sanitizing their hands and practicing social distancing.