If you breach lockdown regulations, you can be fined as much as R5 000 and end up with a criminal record. Offences include being caught with liquor or spreading fake news about Covid-19.
The judiciary has issued a list of offences under the Disaster Management Act that carry admission of guilt fines of between R500 and R5 000.
Judiciary spokesperson Nathi Mncube told News24 the chief magistrate determined fines annually, but that there was particular interest in the latest fines, owing to lockdown regulations.
"In terms of the Criminal Procedure Act, these fines are issued every year in agreement with the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)."
Some of the offences that will result in a R5 000 fine being issued include:
- Unauthorised disclosure of information in the Covid-19 tracing database;
- Failure to de-identify and destroy information on Covid-19 tracing database within six weeks after the state of disaster has ended;
- Making intentional misrepresentations on any person infected with Covid-19;
- Publishing any statement to deceive another person about Covid-19, to deceive any person about the Covid-19 infection status of another person, or to deceive any person about any measures taken by the government to address Covid-19;
- Intentionally exposing another person to Covid-19;
- Executing an eviction order;
- Illegal gatherings in public places;
- Selling, transporting, dispensing or distributing liquor;
- Selling tobacco products; and
- Hindering, interfering with or obstructing law enforcement officers in the execution of their duties.
You can also be fined R3 000 for failing to close a non-essential business and R2 000 for selling non-essential goods.
Lesser amounts include R1 000 fines for a failure to confine yourself to your home and moving between provinces (outside of the grace period), as well as not adhering to the curfew of staying at home between 20:00 and 05:00 without a permit; and R500 for running, cycling, walking beyond 5km of your residence and outside the allocated hours of 06:00 and 09:00.
News24 earlier reported that paying an admission of guilt fine will most likely brand you as having a previous conviction.
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