Policing and crime expert David Bruce says officers in Nkandla in the north of KwaZulu-Natal face a dilemma on whether to enforce level four lockdown regulations or de-escalate a rather tense situation.
Police say they exercised restraint when crowds gathered outside former president Jacob Zuma’s residence at the weekend.
Unpacking events that took place in Nkandla over the weekend:
Bruce says police are in a tight spot.
“In some ways, it is a no-win situation that on the one hand, police could so vigorously enforce the law and arrest people for breaking the lockdown provisions. But in so doing it is likely that there would be lives lost in the process of doing that.”
“So on the other hand now, they are not directly enforcing the law right now, on people who are breaking the lockdown provisions. There is a possibility that as a result that this gathering at Nkandla is in effect, turning into a type of a major type of super spreader event. So it is possible that as things unfold this will lead to the pandemic intensifying in KwaZulu-Natal,” explains Bruce.
Calls for accountability
Opposition parties in Parliament have called for accountability from government after scores of Zuma supporters gathered at Nkandla this past weekend, flouting COVID-19 regulations.
A little over a week ago, President Cyril Ramaphosa banned all gatherings for 14 days to try to get a handle on mass infections caused by the Delta variant.
However, following this past weekend’s event, one party has described the gathering as treasonous.
Opposition parties react following Nkandla events:
