Times Of Swaziland: DPM LAUNCHES OPERATION BOPHA, SAYS; IYOLALA IBONENE!

DPM LAUNCHES OPERATION BOPHA, SAYS; IYOLALA IBONENE!
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BY SIBONGILE SUKATI on 30/12/2020 23:56:00


MBABANE – “Iyolala ibonene (woe unto you).”
The above is a strong warning issued by the Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Themba
Masuku, when he launched ‘Operation Bopha (arrest)’ yesterday.
The DPM even threatened to close down some industries if members of the public
continued to behave recklessly. During a press conference held at the DPM’s
Office, Masuku said government was witnessing the highest level of complacency
ever experienced since COVID-19 first hit the country in March 2020.
“People continue to blatantly disregard COVID-19 health protocols, by refusing
to wear masks appropriately, allowing reasonable social distancing and
sanitising properly,” said Masuku.
Situation
He said as a result, they had to launch ‘Operation Bopha’ to curtail the
situation.
He said the campaign comprised of all key stakeholders in the COVID-19 fight;
which include the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade,
Ministry of Justice, security forces and the National Disaster Management Agency
(NDMA), among others.
“This operation tightens the enforcement of the regulations that this
government has passed recently,” said Masuku.
He said they were targeting all emaSwati and residents who continued to flout
the COVID-19 health protocols and that already a team of inspectors and security
forces were moving around countrywide to arrest, on sight, anyone who continued
to put the lives of other people at risk.
Some places, according to Masuku, had been shut down and some people arrested
for flouting the regulations.
He said the operation also covered business establishments, particularly those
selling liquor and allowing people to congregate and consume alcohol at the
liquor outlets.
Masuku said he was shocked at the manner in which people were recklessly
consuming alcohol.
“During a visit to Buhleni recently, I was shocked at the way people were
consuming alcohol without adhering to the set guidelines. Places like
Madlangempisi and Luve had people drinking alcohol in an unbecoming manner,”
he said.
Though he did not specifically state that liquor could be banned again, he said
if people continued in this manner, government would be forced to take stern
decisions.
“Gatherings and alcohol consumption continue unabated, as if things are still
normal,” said Masuku. He stated that thereafter people would complain about
the hard decisions that government would be forced to take yet they were the
ones behaving badly.
The DPM did not only touch on imbibers, but said even some churches continued
breaching the COVID-19 regulations.
Churches
“Churches continue to worship beyond the stipulated two and a half hours and
church leaders still pray for people by laying hands, while worshippers refuse
to wear masks,” said Masuku.
The DPM further strongly warned against the hosting of crossover parties as the
country ushered into the new year at midnight.
“I suggest you do virtual crossovers as people can see each other using their
smartphones,” he stated.
He further stated that swimming pools were teeming with throngs of people while
community sporting activities still continued in some places.
“Public transport operators still wear masks when they see a roadblock ahead
as if they were doing the police a favour or doing government a favour,” he
said.   Masuku said government was protecting the nation and, therefore,
expected it to respond appropriately.
He reminded emaSwati that the country was dealing with a serious enemy.
“COVID-19 is no child’s play, it is deadly. Families lose their loved ones
daily and our friends and acquaintances are hospitalised every day due to
COVID-19,” said Masuku.
He stated that the country’s health facilities were filling up rapidly; and
yet, some people still behaved recklessly.
“We cannot continue like this; because if we do, we risk wiping away the
entire Eswatini population and future generations with it,” he said.
Masuku added that it was everyone’s responsibility to protect themselves and
their loved ones.
Protect
“We also need to protect our frontline workers, including health workers,
security forces, essential services workers and other support staff,” said
Masuku.
The DPM said government could only do so much and the rest was up to the people
to take full responsibility as individuals to survive the pandemic.
“We should adopt the ‘Me First’ principle so that we can save the nation.
The principle will have a domino effect on the success of our fight against
COVID-19,” said Masuku.
The DPM said he was hopeful that as more and more people faced the consequences
of their actions, they would become more responsible as individuals and
establishments.