Various posts on Facebook and messages forwarded via WhatsApp groups alleged that Kabega Park police would be enforcing stringent rules to prevent residents from going further than their local shops to purchase goods.
One Malabar resident, 64, who asked to remain anonymous, said his wife had been stopped in Godetia Drive on Wednesday morning on her way to do shopping at Metlife Plaza as well as Pick n Pay and SPAR in Linton Grange.
“We only go shopping on a Wednesday and Sunday, so when my wife was on her way to the water shop [a bottled water outlet], Metlife Plaza, Pick n Pay and SPAR, she was stopped in a roadblock.
“The police officer who stopped her turned her back under threat of arrest and said she must go shopping in Malabar.
“There is no shopping infrastructure in Malabar.
“The little shop at the Engen garage doesn’t have everything,” the man said.
According to the man, the spaza shops in the area practise poor hygiene and do not stock everything needed.
“The law allows for essential shopping, but at this stage it is debatable what are essential goods.
“If we had the same facilities in Malabar as there are in other areas, it would be much better for us,” the man said.
Fellow Malabar resident Patrick Goliath, 34, said he too had been turned back by the police as he was leaving Malabar to go to Checkers at Metlife Plaza.
“I wanted to go get essentials like bread and some fruits, but they told me I must go to a local shop in the area,” Goliath said.
He said the small stores in the area did not have the items he wanted and that was why he wanted to go elsewhere.
“It is not fair that someone else can decide what is essential and what is not — what if I needed to get medicine? There aren’t any pharmacies in Malabar,” Goliath said.
But not everyone had the same view — Newton Park resident Claudia Volkers, 29, said she understood why the regulations were in place.
“Restricting the movement of people to their own suburbs will help stop the spread of the virus, so it’s a good thing as long as it is properly enforced,” Volkers said.
Neil Blom, 46, of Algoa Park said it would not be fair to restrict people to their areas if they were unable to get the essential goods, including medication, in the suburbs in which they lived.
“We need to stop the spread of this virus, but stopping people from getting what they need is not fair at all,” Blom said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Priscilla Naidu said the message circulated on Wednesday did not constitute new rules or regulations but was an appeal for people to adhere to government regulations announced at the start of the national lockdown.
“At the time the lockdown was declared, people were advised to remain in their suburbs to restrict movement.
“There is a lot of movement in certain areas, which is defeating the lockdown regulations,” Naidu said.
Residents would be allowed to leave their suburbs for essential reasons such as collecting medication or visiting a doctor, Naidu said.
“Unless absolutely necessary, those transgressing the national regulations [restricting movement] will be arrested and dealt in accordance with the law,” Naidu said.
BY DEVON KOEN – HeraldLIVE