Commuters need to keep masks on - Hilda Mohajane

This passenger was not wearing a mask in a taxi that also had other people on board. Picture: Thobile Mathonsi African News Agency (ANA)

This passenger was not wearing a mask in a taxi that also had other people on board. Picture: Thobile Mathonsi African News Agency (ANA)

Published Feb 9, 2021

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Pretoria - Passengers in public transport should never tire of wearing a mask, says Tshwane SAPS district commissioner Major-General Hilda Mohajane.

Mohajane said there were punishments and consequences for commuters found engaging in such risky and reckless behaviour.

"The minute we stop the taxis we check if everybody is wearing a mask. We remind the taxi drivers to remember that in a taxi there are many passengers, so it is about protecting everyone involved."

She said most commuters in the taxis that were stopped were wearing masks.

“It could be that some people take off their masks in transit, which is wrong because they were told about the importance of doing such.

"There are definitely consequences for not wearing a mask. The regulations state that if I find you not wearing a mask, I must warn you and give you an opportunity to wear a mask but if you resist, we arrest you.

"There are a lot of people we arrested for this, because they think that when a police officer asks them to wear a mask, it is about the officer showing he has power. But it's not about the officer, it is about us knowing that we must protect everyone in our communities."

As part of enforcing compliance during a police operation in Olievenhoutbosch and suburbs in the west of Tshwane, Mohajane and a team of police stopped numerous taxis to check that people wore their masks.

Olievenhoutbosch residents Nomsa Ngwenya and Lerato Chauke said some people opened food in a taxi full of passengers and started eating, just after passing money that was touched by several other passengers.

Chauke said: "Some people treat you like you think you are better than them when you open your spray of sanitiser and spray your hands after touching money in the taxi.

"You can see by some people's reaction that they think you are acting like they have the coronavirus and may pass it to you, but actually it is just an innocent step towards maximising your own protection.

"Our people need to change their way of thinking and realise that the message is out there that people are dying. We need to take this seriously. I get that after 6pm we are tired because it has been a long day, but you cannot be too tired to protect yourself by keeping your mask on."

Pretoria News

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