There is a call for accredited neighbourhood watches and farm watches to help police ensure compliance with coronavirus (COVID-19) restrictions.
Western Cape MEC for Community Safety, Albert Fritz, says they have told police that such assistance is desperately needed in densely populated as well as rural areas.
Fritz says a 60-year-old Paarl farmer is recovering in hospital after being attacked by four men on Saturday,
“You can’t not allow farm watches to operate. Criminals will takeover in rural areas. And so, I mean, in this case, in Paarl, it was the farm watch that came to the assistance of the family first.”
COVID-19 INFECTIONS RISING
The health department says the number of people infected with the coronavirus is 1187.
In a statement, health minister Zweli Mkhize says these numbers do not indicate a reduction in the number of infections. It is merely a reflection of positive results that were received.
The Gauteng province has the highest number of infections with 533 followed by Western Cape with 271. Some health workers have also been infected.
The department says a 70-year-old doctor in the Free State is in ICU.
In the video below, South Africans defy lockdown directives
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) says it will deploy members from its Reserve Force to compliment contingents deployed across the country in the battle against the spread of the coronavirus.
In addition, the SA Military Health Service will deploy Reserve Force doctors, nurses and operational emergency care practitioners.
President Cyril Ramaphosa officially deployed members of SANDF to support the police throughout the 21-day national lockdown.
“The SANDF is calling up members from the Reserve Force to compliment the already deployed SANDF members in the fight against COVID-19. The SANDF will deploy in various capacities in the implementation of the national lockdown in order to recruit a broad plan of urban and rural operations,” says SANDF Spokesperson Siphiwe Dlamini.
In this video below, President Ramaphosa deploys army hours before lockdown:
