Police Minister Bheki Cele is known for his straight talking. Today, he made it clear what police should do as part of efforts to curb the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. He says, “ When you stop taxi and the people don’t have masks, arrest the damn driver.” He says police will ensure adherence everywhere including supermarkets and shopping malls.

Cele did a walk-about at one of the largest taxi ranks in Cape Town, the Bellville Taxi Rank. It is a major hub for all transport within the greater metro. There is very low adherence to mask wearing and social distancing.

Cele also says police will work hard to reduce incidents of gender based violence during the festive season. He will spend two days in the province. Cele’s reiterated that police officers have the right to defend themselves if they come under attack. He’s also warned that curfews and all other lockdown regulations must be adhered to.

Cele has urged police officers to work hard to protect society from crime this festive season:

“Be available when that young woman, when that women, they knock at the police station and say I am being abused, I am scared, I fear for my life…don’t tell that woman to go back and negotiate, there is nothing to negotiate there. You go and protect that woman and arrest that perpetrator- that’s your job. Not to tell her to back and negotiate because if you tell her to go back and negotiate she will come back the next day and say but the perpetrator is still in the house, the perpetrator is still harassing me and then you tell her again to go back and negotiates, she won’t come back the third time, not because she’s tired, because she’s dead.”