Johannesburg - A handful of South Africans across the country united on Wednesday to partake in an anti-lockdown march.
The march was sparked by the country’s move to adjusted level 4 of the lockdown, resulting in many people losing their jobs.
According to posters that circulated on Twitter under the #antilockdownprotest, many South Africans felt the lockdown was inhumane and that the government was killing its citizens with hunger as many were forced to stay home without an income.
“We are against lockdown regulations. More people are dying because of hunger, as well as those who are dying of the coronavirus. Politicians have not missed their paychecks, and it is unconstitutional. Their families have more than enough and their kids lack nothing, but they want to place us under extreme lockdown with no plan on how to roll out the mass vaccination. They looted R500 billion for the Covid-19 relief fund and they can’t account for what they have done with it.
“It’s time to go back to normal, and people should be allowed to go back to work and school,” said one protester.
The march was spotted in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, Bloemfontein in the Free State, and East London in the Eastern Cape. Citizens held up placards that expressed their frustrations.
Placards had slogans such as: “Rather kill us here and now. Enough is enough”, “Create jobs, not lockdowns”, and “Lockdowns are not solutions”.
The march could not be located in Gauteng, but many expressed their frustrations on social media.
Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla said no information about the march had been received, and that all gatherings were prohibited.
“Gatherings are only allowed for funerals, at the workplace, or when buying or obtaining goods and services.
The JMPD is on alert for activities not allowed during the adjusted level 4 of the lockdown,“said Fihla.
The Star