Police Minister Bheki Cele has condemned the call by attorney Zehir Omar encouraging “all Muslims to engage in worship in congregation” while offering free legal services to anyone who might get arrested for such contravention.
This comes after police on Friday arrested 17 people for violating the lockdown regulations and gathered at Pretoria West masjid to pray in congregation.
Cele was referring to a video clip which went viral on social media in which Omar instructs Muslims to use the challenge of the lockdown regulations in the North Gauteng High Court to continue congregations at masaajid without judgement in the matter being passed.
Omar has since retracted his comments saying the remarks reflected what he believed to be the outcome of the matter having regard to the events in the High Court.
Cele says he’s noted with concern that some arrests effected across most provinces over weekends since the lockdown, are of people who had gathered for religious reasons, when the only gathering permitted under the lockdown is a funeral service with a limit of 50 people in attendance.
The police’s Mathapelo Peters says Cele has reminded all citizens of the country to always be conscious of the primary purpose of the COVID-19 Disaster Management Lockdown Regulations, which is to protect South Africans from the coronavirus.
“When people, wittingly or unwittingly, violate the lockdown regulations, police are left with no choice but to enforce the law where in some instances this means arresting people.”
The Police Minister has reiterated government’s call to religious leaders to ensure a national, collective and sustained effort to combat and contain the spread of COVID-19 in SA.
Faizel Patel
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