DA accuses Cele of being on 'power trip' as police crackdown on mask defiance
A police crackdown on mask defiance has led to arrests countrywide.
Police Minister Bheki Cele has added a number of people were caught behaving irresponsibly by not wearing masks in public places.
He addressed the issue during a compliance visit to the Western Cape yesterday.
Under lockdown level 3, beaches, dams, lakes and rivers are closed to the public in areas that have been declared coronavirus hotspots.
Cele says if you’re caught without a mask and arrested, you’ll receive a criminal record.
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"It's not because we like it, it's because it's necessary and compulsory because of the situation that we are in. The curfew, if you are found to be there - you will have to be arrested after 9 or before 6 moving there."
The Minister's also warned underground liquor traders they run the risk of being stripped of their operating licences if caught.
But the Western Cape's Community Safety MEC, Albert Fritz, has accused Cele of being on a power trip.
He says it's clear from his media tour in the province this week, that the Minister is more passionate about arresting surfers, than bringing to book gang leaders on the Cape Flats and other communities across the country.
He also lashed out at Cele for saying that government troops will be deployed to assist police in enforcing regulations.
