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E25 000 FINE FOR NUMBERS BREACH AT GATHERINGS

25/11/2020 00:52:00 BY SITHEMBILE HLATSHWAYO

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MBABANE – A festive season like no other!

Those who will host gatherings with the number of people exceeding the one stipulated in the revised Disaster Management (Coronavirus-COVID-19) Regulations, 2020 should be prepared to dig deep into their pockets.

Should they be found in breach of these regulations, they will part with E25 000 as a fine.

This comes after government, through the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), announced fines for breaching the regulations, which came into effect from November 19, 2020. For gatherings, apart from the E25 000 fine if in breach, offenders face a jail term of up to two years.

According to the regulations under Part III; Gatherings (8), a person who contravenes a provision of this part shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding E25 000 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years.

It should be noted that these regulations come into effect at a time when many establishments were preparing to host a magnitude of people during the festive season. Some were already calling upon people to make bookings for Christmas lunches and dinners.

Speaking on the revised regulations, NDMA Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Russell Dlamini said on the issue of selling alcohol, it was restricted sales and limited times allowed.

Nightclub

According to the regulations, a bottle store, wine and malt, nightclub or a pub, shall sell liquor for home consumption only and shall operate from Monday to Friday between 10am to 6pm and on Saturday, from 9am to 2pm.

Also, the regulations state that liquor shall not be consumed at a bottle store, wine and malt, club or a pub.

Dlamini stated that those in charge of the gatherings, including weddings, funerals or community meetings, should take all the necessary steps to prevent the spread of COVID-19 or face the stipulated fine.

“All gathering shall not last for more than two hours and thirty minutes, but an exception will be made to those who would be granted permission by the minister of home affairs after applying,” he explained.

However, he said the Deputy Prime Minister’s (DPM) office had to also verify whether the event indeed deserved to take longer hours.

Dlamini said this was a ‘new normal’ situation which should be observed by all, especially because government spent a lot of money in its response programme to COVID-19.

He noted that the number of people attending functions such as weddings, funerals or memorial services or an arts and entertainment event in closed areas, should not exceed 100 and 200 people if held in an open area.

Dlamini said night gatherings were still banned, including vigils. He said funerals were allowed under strict restrictions of not more than 100 people.

He noted that it was expected for all emaSwati to wear masks when in a public space, adding that ‘once you are out of your home, it is compulsory to wear the mask or when travelling in private vehicles with passengers.’

If a person is found in breach of the regulations, they will pay a fine of E100 or face arrest.

mask

Dlamini said when travelling in a public transport vehicle, it was advisable that you board the vehicle already wearing the mask.

He stated that drivers of public transport vehicles should ensure that their passengers were not allowed to board without wearing a mask.

“If you board public transport without wearing a mask, you also stand to be fined E100 but drivers will pay E800 for allowing passengers who are not wearing masks on board,” he said.

Such news has not been received well by some events organisers, who lamented that they would not make any profits this festive season.

Platinum Concepts Director, Khulekani Mamba, said the regulations were not favourable for their business as they made minimal to no profit, but they could not change the situation.

Mamba said the situation was a hard one, especially since the industry had suffered the biggest blow with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We still hope and pray that things will eventually get better,” Mamba said.

He stated that while the situation was still not ideal for the entertainment industry, they still acknowledged that the restrictions were meant for a better tomorrow. “We do not have much of a choice on the current stipulated regulations. I guess we have grown to accept that we will have to do what we must do today, so we can do what we want tomorrow, with the hope that things will get better,” he said.

Mamba said they were counting on their compliance in convincing the powers that be that indeed, arts events could be declared low risk and enjoy further relaxation from government.

Tickets

Meanwhile, SwaziBoy Public Relations Officer, Nozipho Masuku, said with the stipulated regulations, it meant that they would have a limited number of people attending their events, while their ticket sales would also be affected as they would no longer sell at the door.

Masuku said even when they had pre-sale tickets, they would not be able to sell to make extra cash.

In the past, she said they would sell tickets and further charge at the door. “With the regulations in place, everything is a bit tight, which means that we need to calculate our moves very carefully,” she said.

However, she said the good that came with the regulations was the fact that the public could now appreciate local talents because it meant they were giving them the platform fully and not competing with international acts.

Masuku said the downside of it was that if in any case, one wanted to host an international act, it was impossible because it was more expensive to hire the person and at the end, not even recover the money due to being allowed to have only a specific number of people attending.

Furthermore, she noted that they had been receiving concerns from people who wanted to know about the cross over situation, which would not be doable this year due to the current situation.