South African Police (SAPS) has arrested a bride, groom, a priest, and over 40 guests for violating the lockdown order in South Africa. The wedding took place in Richards Bay, a town in KwaZulu-Natal.
The arrests were made right in the middle of their ceremony, and those arrested are currently being held in police cells at Empangeni Station.
SAPS National Spokesperson, Brigadier Vishnu Naidoo, confirmed the arrests and stated that prosecutors will guide the police on charges the suspects will face.
“People are still taking chances, not realizing the seriousness of this virus. For now, I don’t think they can have any reasonable explanation for continuing with that wedding. We will be interviewing each one individually,” said Naidoo.
“The charges will be put to them; they have definitely contravened the regulations of the Disaster Management Act. The prosecutor will guide us on exactly which charges will be preferred against them. I don’t think we can be expecting any explanation from them at this point in time unless we have spoken to the senior prosecutor.”
Those arrested are expected to be arraigned in court today, April 6.
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South Africa announced a 21-day total lockdown over COVID-19, starting from midnight on March 26, 2020. President Cyril Ramaphosa emphasized the necessity to “avoid a human catastrophe” and instructed the army to enforce the restrictions.