Deputy Minister in the Presidency Thembi Siweya has impounded several buses for failing to comply with COVID-19 regulations at a traffic roadblock in Dennilton, Limpopo.
The Deputy Minister announced today that the buses had contravened the 70% passenger capacity for long-distance trips when they were impounded at a roadblock.
According to the statement, Siweya was responding to President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call for all ministers and deputy ministers to monitor compliance with COVID-19 regulations and she was assigned the Sekhukhune District Municipality.
“As the first monitoring exercise, the Deputy Minister opted to join the roadblock in Moteti because of the reported incidents of individuals who were infected whilst on a bus that travels from Gauteng through Limpopo and then to Mpumalanga,” reads the statement.
The Deputy Minister said some of the impounded buses did not have permits while others had not complied with the 70% capacity put in place by the nation’s government.
The statement shows that while at the scene, the Deputy Minister urged the police to continue to enforce the regulations to ensure the safety of the people.
“COVID-19 is real and has affected many people in our country. We must all play our part to reduce the spread of the virus. Our people rely on buses as a means of transportation to work. As a result, we need to ensure they travel safely and are not exposed to the virus. All buses and cars that are found not to be compliant should be impounded and their owners must be made to account in terms of the applicable laws”, Siweya was quoted to have said while addressing traffickers officers at the scene.
Deputy Minister Siweya, according to the statement, was expected to share her report with the Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula to ensure coordinated intervention.
The Deputy Minister responsible for monitoring and evaluation, also conducted an oversight at Dennilton Police stations when she uncovered that the station had no visible marks to encourage social distancing.
The statement also shows that the Deputy Minister questioned the station’s lack of a dedicated desk to deal with cases of gender-based violence.
Siweya is expected to conduct more oversight visits in the Sekhukhune area for the next four weeks.
“We strive to work directly with communities in our fight against the invisible enemy- Coronavirus. Our aim is not to limit the rights of our citizens, but to urge them to work with government in curbing the spread of the virus. We believe that if we work together, we stand a chance to win against this pandemic”, said Deputy Minister Siweya.
