Update
KAROO NEWS - By noon on Friday (10 April), the flood of taxis coming into the Eastern Cape near Aberdeen had eased off, and by late afternoon the health workers manning the screening stations, as well as the police and traffic officials, had a welcome break from the stressful morning rush.
Eunice Kekana, Mayor of the Sarah Baartman District Municipality, spent several hours at the roadblock, and was shocked and saddened by what she saw.
“The people must respect the president’s lockdown,” she said. “We now have ten positive cases of Covid-19 in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality, up from five yesterday, and we are trying to restrict access to safeguard our people,” she added. “People must use their ears to listen and act responsibly.”
Kekana supports the call from Oscar Mabuyane, the premier of the Eastern Cape, for national government to lock down the borders of the province.
A senior police official confirmed that less than 20 taxis had been refused entry to the Eastern Cape as they did not have the correct permits to cross the provincial border.
“There were some cases where we were not satisfied with the documentation, so we contacted the police stations in the areas where the funerals were due to be held to seek verification,” he said.
Residents of Aberdeen are fervently hoping that on their return journeys, the taxis will be allowed to cross back into the Western Cape, and not bring an influx of people into the town.
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