[imagesource: Freepik]

On December 28, during another ‘family meeting’, President Ramaphosa announced that, following a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases, the country would be returning to alert level 3, albeit with a few adjustments.

It was an interesting speech, with the president taking a detour from his usual thank yous to the citizens of South Africa for assisting in the fight against the virus, usually with a gentle reminder to wear a mask and wash our hands thrown into the mix.

Instead, he opted for a full-scale and scathing reprimand for not following the PPE and physical distancing regulations in place to keep the numbers down.

A snippet of that address, via EWN:

“We have let down our guard, and unfortunately we are now paying the price.

We have not been wearing masks.

We are not washing our hands or sanitising.

And we are not keeping a safe distance from others.

We have continued to host and attend social gatherings and events that in many cases flout public health regulations.”

As a consequence for these actions, it is now an offence not to wear a mask in public, and the sale of alcohol from retail outlets and the on-site consumption of alcohol have been banned – among other regulations.

There will always be those, however, who try to game the system. A man was arrested in Jeppe on Friday after police in Johannesburg seized around R100 000 worth of alcohol, reports News24.

Over to Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department spokesperson Xolani Fihla:

“The [two] vehicles and occupants were searched. While searching, officers found alcohol loaded in both vehicles. The occupants were questioned and they led officers to a liquor outlet at Fox Street between Hans and Gus Streets in Jeppestown, where they bought the alcohol”.

Several cars were allegedly lined up outside the liquor outlet, but quickly left when the cops arrived.

The manager at the outlet decided to try his luck, calling his son, who then allegedly offered members of SAPS a R40 000 bribe.

As it stands, four suspects have been arrested for the contravention of the Disaster Management Act for selling, dispensing and transporting liquor. One has been arrested for bribery.

SAPS is coming down hard on contraventions of the Act – with the exception of the cop found drunk out his mind, without a mask on Friday.

In other bust-related news, officers arrested two men and confiscated drugs worth over R600 000 in two separate incidents in the Western Cape this weekend.

You can read more about that here.

[sources:ewn&news24]