Joburg lockdown: R3,000 fine for flouting curfew, R1,500 for no mask

JMPD arrests 49 'curfew cheaters' on first night of new regulations

30 December 2020 - 16:42 By ernest mabuza
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The JMPD arrested 49 people on Tuesday night for failing to confine themselves to the new curfew imposed as the country moved to level 3 of the lockdown. File photo.
The JMPD arrested 49 people on Tuesday night for failing to confine themselves to the new curfew imposed as the country moved to level 3 of the lockdown. File photo.
Image: Reuben Goldberg

The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) arrested 49 people for failing to confine themselves to their place of residence - violating the curfew - between 9pm on Tuesday and 6am on Wednesday.

This follows the imposition of a longer curfew, announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa on Monday when SA was due to move to level 3 of the national lockdown in response to the rapid spread of Covid-19.

The City of Johannesburg has shared an admission of guilt fines schedule for offences under the Disaster Management Act level 3 regulations for the region.

The schedule was issued by acting Johannesburg chief magistrate PJ du Plessis and took effect from December 29.

People who fail to confine themselves to their homes between 9pm and 6am face a R3,000 admission of guilt fine, a jail term of six months, or both.

Any person who intentionally misrepresents that he or she is infected with Covid-19 commits an offence and is liable to a fine of R3,000.

A fine of R3,500 will be imposed on any person publishing any statement with intent to deceive others about Covid-19, the Covid-19 infection status of any person or any measures taken by government to address Covid-19.

Failing to wear a face mask in public (which is mandatory), after being given a verbal instruction to do so by a law enforcement officer, will result in a R1,500 fine or six months in jail - or both.

Admission of guilt fines will not be permitted for other types of offences which require the offender to appear in court.

These include a failure by a driver or operator of a public transport vehicle to take steps to ensure that a person using public transport wears a mask or an item to cover their nose and mouth.

There would also be no admission of guilt fines for managers or owners of buildings used by the public who did not ensure people entering them wore masks.

The selling, distributing or dispensing of liquor for off- and on-site consumption is prohibited and no admission of guilt fines will be taken for such offences.

Transportation of liquor is prohibited and a person found in contravention of this will be fined R3,000.

However, transportation of alcohol required by industry for producing hand sanitisers is permitted. Transportation of liquor is also permitted for export purposes and from manufacturing plants to storage facilities.

TimesLIVE


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