Bheki Cele, South African Minister of the Police, has lambasted tourists for defying a ban on going to beaches along the famous Garden Route.
The ban was introduced last month to curb the spread of coronavirus after the beaches were identified as a hotspot for infections.
Cele, who spoke to the media when he toured the area on Wednesday, said that overall compliance with Covid-19 regulations was much better than he had expected.
He added that some surfers had been arrested on the beach in Langebaan, Western Cape province of South Africa, for defying the ban.
“What really irritates about those people is that they are foreign nationals – most of them come from Europe and their beaches are closed and there’s lockdown there and they come here to do the mess,” he added.
On Tuesday, the police minister issued a warned residents and visitor who failed to comply with Level 3 Lockdown regulations risk jail.
Cele visited towns on the west coast of the Western Cape on Tuesday to see if people from farming communities comply with COVID-19 protocols.
His first stop was at the Vredendal Police Station.
Community leaders have complained about a lack of visible policing as many people have been breaking COVID-19 regulations.
The minister says his visit to small towns should indicate the devastating impact the virus has on all South Africans.
