CAPE TOWN – A 35-year-old taxi driver is facing attempted murder charges (read with DMA Regulation 14(3) and in a quarantine site in Cape Town after he was stopped in a vehicle checkpoint (VCP) on the R61 in Beaufort West yesterday ferrying about seven passengers. The driver, who had apparently tested positive for the virus after taking a test on 30 April 2020 on the N2 Tsitsikamma roadblock in the Eastern Cape, was duly informed two days ago by the testing authority of the outcome of the test. Yet, he allegedly proceeded with the trip on Thursday, 07 May 2020, and was apprehended on the R61 road near Beaufort West en-route to the Eastern Cape.
The driver, seven passengers and three other persons in an accompanying vehicle were transported by police and traffic officials back to Cape Town where they are in a quarantine site.
The police and traffic officials who escorted the driver and passengers back to Cape Town will undergo the necessary monitoring in line with COVID-19 protocols, as a precaution.
The police will ensure the driver is charged and appears before a court of law after consultation with the department of health officials.
A plea is made to all citizens to respect the rule of law. Police officials will track those who break the law and ensure they are brought to book.
