A newlywed couple was arrested along with 53 wedding guests and a priest for breaching coronavirus lockdown rules.
The bride and groom had just exchanged vows when armed police wearing masks stormed their wedding on Sunday in South Africa, according to the Mirror.
Video footage from local media show police rounding up the guests, putting the couple into the back of a police van, and then transporting them to the Empangeni police station. It is believed a concerned citizen had alerted authorities. The couple's names have not been released.
"The police and soldiers were heavily armed and they stormed the tent where the wedding was taking place and arrested everyone," one guest said.
The couple still had their honeymoon, but it was "under stringent bail conditions."
A similar incident took place on March 28 in Nkandla, which lies 70 miles from Empangeni. Jabulani Zulu and his wife, Nomthandazo, were also arrested for ignoring the lockdown rules to get married.
Nkandla mayor Thami Ntuli expressed concern for the public's disregard to the law.
"People should know that a national shutdown was not made for specific people, but for all of us," Ntuli said.
South Africa is 14 days into a 21-day lockdown to control the spread of COVID-19, but that may be extended if the country is unable to flatten the curve of infections, according to reports.
As of Wednesday, South Africa had 1,845 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 18 deaths. President Cyril Ramaphosa was expected to address the nation later Thursday on the continuing efforts to contain the virus' spread.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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