07 May 2020

Kgosi Mogotsi Marotwane of Machana in the Southern District has expressed concern about people who disregard COVID-19 regulations.

He said some residents did not take extreme social distancing measures seriously because they were always idling around the village.

He noted that, despite public education efforts from health officials, some residents still wanted to live normal lives by checking on friends and relatives. This, he noted, posed a health risk.

“We always encourage people to stay home but the message is falling on deaf ears. They are always moving up and down visiting friends and relatives, both the young and old,” he said.

Kgosi Marotwane said he had engaged parents to monitor their children’s movements, but the situation did not improve. He also noted that people only stayed at home briefly during police patrols.

Jwaneng station commander, Superintendent Thuso Basuti, said because the village did not have a police post, they had random police patrols to ensure that people adhered to the COVID-19 regulations. He said they had few cases of illegal brewing of alcohol in Machana at the beginning of the lockdown, but nipped the situation in the bud.

He also noted that people mostly travelled from their residential areas to cattle-posts and ploughing fields. He said the police would continue to intensify patrols to enforce the regulations. ENDS