By Ayinde Summey
MAIN IMAGE: Vehicles at a roadblock in Johannesburg on Wednesday. The Minister of Transport has warned that strict enforcement of lockdown rules will be applied over the Easter weekend. Source: Twitter @SouthernStaying
While South African children may be stuck at home this Easter, there is one bit of good news: the Easter Bunny has been given permission to travel across the country to deliver his load of chocolate eggs.
An official letter signed by the Deputy Minister of Tourism Mamaloko Kubaye-Ngubane has authorized the bunny to travel to all parts of the country to perform an essential service to children “which includes but not exclusive to chocolate egg deliveries”.
Among other places where the bunny will roam freely on Sunday is New Zealand, where he has been declared an Essential Worker, and the island of Sark, where an emergency work permit has been issued for the purposes of “essential island travel, inter-burrow visits and home delivery of standard seasonal confectionery”.
For other citizens, however, there will be no special passes for Easter travel. Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula has warned of severe consequences for anyone found breaking the lockdown rules. Many people have been caught flouting the orders across the country. “This conduct demonstrates a worrying trend which must be roundly condemned by both government and civil society. Those who undermine efforts to arrest the spread of this pandemic must face the full might of the law and equally face condemnation by society, as their behavior places the lives of millions at risk.” He said in a press release issued by the department.
In a tweet, the minister said law enforcement would be intensified.
“… Authorities will not hesitate to ensure that the full might of the law is brought to bear on those who continue to break it.”
Unlawful road use has worsened since the implementation of the order which been happening across the country. Briefly reports that as of Wednesday, 30,000 vehicles had been stopped countrywide, 196 of them stopped as their drivers were trying to cross provincial lines.
“E-hailing providers that failed to adhere to passenger limits for a vehicle licensed to carry four passengers increased from 42 on Monday and peaked at 509 on Wednesday,” said Mbalula.
