The South African Police Services (SAPS) have arrested a 53-year-old man in Parow in the Western Cape for allegedly contravening the Regulations of the Disaster Management Act 2002.
The suspect is likely to face charges of at least contravening Regulation 11B of the Disaster Management Act 2002.
The SAPS said in a statement that the man is expected to appear before court today following his arrest yesterday by police from Parow Police Station.
“The arrest relates to a video disseminated through various social media platforms purporting contamination of COVID-19 test kits,” said SAPS.
“The suspect has been charged in terms of Regulation 11(5)(c) of the Disaster Management Act, in relation to “publishing any statement through any medium including social media with the intention to deceive any other person about measures by the government to address COVID-19.”
On Sunday, SAPS arrested a 23-year-old man in Pretoria for allegedly contravening the Regulations of the Disaster Management Act 2002.
On 27 March 2020 little snippets of a video, in which two young men were seen travelling around Pretoria with one of them continuously swearing, mocking efforts to curb the COVID-19 virus and bragging they do not comply with laws put in place to contain the virus, went viral.
In one of the snippets, one man appears to be standing in front of a police station and swearing about the virus.
The video was investigated and the suspect was traced and found inside a residential complex in the Lyttelton policing area.
“The arrest of this suspect – as well as at least six other suspects that have been arrested for creating such videos and posting fake news – should be a reminder that the security forces enforcing the regulations to contain the COVID-19 virus have the capacity and capability to identify those responsible for such transgressions, however long it may take,” Police said in a statement.
People are urged to view the scourge of COVID-19 virus seriously as thousands of people globally have lost their lives this to this plague.
“The regulations are being enforced not to punish people but to protect lives against this pandemic,” Police said
