[imagesource: Brendan Magaar/ANA]

The national lockdown, and the resultant enforced restrictions on movement, has changed South Africa significantly.

While crime has by no stretch of the imagination ceased, it has altered to reflect the times.

The illicit sale of cigarettes allegedly flourished under the tobacco ban. Some government officials were busted exploiting the situation for personal gain, and a number of new criminal offences were instituted to penalise those who flouted the measures in place to prevent the spread of the virus.

Overall, crime has seen a significant drop since a comparative period last year, reports BusinessTech, but this information isn’t surprising, all things considered.

Police minister, Bheki Cele says that the introduction of the coronavirus lockdown and supporting measures has resulted in a significant drop in crime levels across the country.

Cele said that the heightened visibility of police, reinforced by the deployment of the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) and other variables such as the prohibition of the sale of liquor have also all contributed to the decline.

Comparing the countries crime statistics between March 27 to April 20, 2019, and March 27 to April 20, 2020,  illustrates a significant decrease in crime across the board.

These tables via IOL:

Credit: IOL

Cele says that by the end of the initial 21-day lockdown, over 107 000 criminal cases had been opened, and over 118 000 people charged for offences relating to lockdown restrictions.

More than 42 000 of these charges are being heard in courts countrywide, while the rest have been granted bail, issued with fines, or released pending a trial.

“At this stage it needs to be emphasised that the only permit that may be obtained from the police, which can also be obtained from a magistrate, is for travelling across provincial boundaries to and from a funeral. Police are not responsible for any other lockdown permits,” he said.

He says that lockdown laws will remain in place despite the “official end” on April 30.

These extreme measures have been put in place for a very specific purpose – to fight the pandemic. Once we have a handle on the coronavirus, restrictions will gradually ease.

We will be moving into alert level 4 as of May 1, according to the president’s address last night.

For more on what that entails, head here.

[sources:businesstech&iol]