EASTERN CAPE - CHURCH MINISTER ARRESTED FOR BREACHING LOCKDOWN RULES BY HOLDING PUBLIC CHURCH SERVICE

An Eastern Cape church minister was arrested for breaching lockdown rules in the Eastern Cape on Saturday.

The reverend was arrested together with the owner of the property where the service was held in Whittlesea.

“SAPS can confirm that yesterday 11 April 2020, police visited the local reverend and the owner of the house for contravention of the Disaster Management Act,” national police spokesperson Brig Vish Naidoo told DispatchLIVE on Sunday.

Both the minister and property owner were fined and given notices to appear at the Whittlesea magistrate's court on Tuesday.

A video of the arrests went viral on Saturday. In the video, churchgoers — including seven women carrying babies — could be seen being ordered by police to leave the shack where the service was held.

The churchgoers got no sympathy from social media users, who slammed them for failing to obey lockdown rules.

“Churches are closed, why don't they follow suit?” asked one user.

It was not the first church service arrest to cause a stir in the province over the weekend.

On Friday, churchgoers who held an Easter church service were arrested for breaching lockdown regulations at Khasa village in Elliotdale. They were later released on warning and will also appear in court on Tuesday.

via - SUNDAYTIMES