A football match was curtailed when the City of Cape Town law enforcement agencies continued with their lockdown operations as a number of amended regulations came into effect this month.

The match took place at an informal sports field in Philippi on Saturday – a day after the total lockdown was slightly relaxed to level four – with hundreds of people reported to have been in attendance. Metro Police, in conjunction with the South African National Defence Force, the South African Police Services and Law Enforcement, attended to a complaint of non-compliance relating to a public gathering in the rea.

“About 500 people attended a soccer match and while they dispersed peacefully after enforcement agencies got there, it is unacceptable that they are willing to put lives at risk,” explained City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, Alderman JP Smith, in a statement. “The lockdown is a stressful time for everyone, but I implore the public to please familiarize themselves with the dos and don’ts of level four, to avoid getting into unnecessary trouble with the law”.

Smith added that with the change in regulations, they are seeing an increase in traffic volumes as more businesses open their doors, greater foot traffic through public transport interchanges, an increase in delivery vehicles like motorcycles as restaurants are now able to sell food for delivery, and more people on the roads during the early morning. “However, this is not a carte blanche to be outside, in public spaces, and violating the lockdown”.

Bayanda Sikiti, SAFA Cape Town’s head of competition who also leads the Philippi Local Football Association, said he heard about a football game taking place at an informal ground called Emahashini near Vlei information settlement. He said the match did not take place at the facilities under the jurisdiction of the LFA, which they are regularly present at to ensure that the lockdown regulations are adhered to.