Afriforum
A father from Centurion who was arrested earlier this month for breaking curfew, will not be prosecuted.
Naas le Roux was arrested on the 7th of January when he went to a pharmacy to purchase special formula milk for his baby.
Le Roux was offered assistance by Afriforum's Private prosecutions unit who made representations to the prosecutor on his behalf.
Afriforum hosted a media briefing on Monday to announce that the Nasional Prosecuting Authority (NPA) decided not to prosecute Mr le Roux.
The father captured his interaction with the police officer on his cell phone camera.
The country is currently under advanced Level 3 lockdown with a curfew of 9 pm-5 am.
Advocate Gerrie Nel, Head of AfriForum’s Private Prosecution Unit, said during the conference that the action of the SAPS in this case clearly points to a lack of training, as well as neglecting to understand the purpose of the lockdown regulations.
“The purpose of the regulations is not, as Bheki Cele, Police Minister, proudly announced, to burden 7 000 people with criminal records because they are not wearing masks, but to lighten the burden on hospitals by stopping the spread of the virus,” he said.
