KNYSNA NEWS - People desperate to get their hands on documents that would enable them to collect food, turned into a mass gathering at the Hornlee library on Friday 10 April, necessitating the intervention of the Knysna council Speaker and police to disperse the crowd that way exceeded the lockdown limit of 50 people allowed to gather in one place.
According to Knysna council Speaker Titi Gombo, councillors were given forms to distribute to their wards registering people for the groceries. "On Friday, when Ward 11 councillor Lorraine Opperman went to the library, people started coming to collect forms," she said.
This turned into a gathering of more than 200 people, she said, which led to complaints and her having to intervene.
A Hornlee resident, Neville Korkee, said this gathering posed a serious threat of infection.
"After I complained to the Speaker, the police came in and dispersed the crowd as there were more than 200 people not wearing masks or adhering to the lockdown regulations. How sure can we be that there was no one with coronavirus in that whole process as our people were not looked after," he said.
"After the lockdown, if the municipality is not opening any case against councillor Opperman, I will personally open the case myself as she has endangered the lives of our people. We need answers and someone needs to be held accountable for what happened on Friday," he said.
When asked for comment, Opperman said she had nothing to do with what happened on Friday. "I had gone to the library to submit my forms so they could be put into the system and the database. When I arrived, there were people already there. I asked them what they were doing there and I was angry as there was no social distancing and people were not wearing any masks," she said.
According to the councillor, people were supposed to register at the library once the forms have been captured, but that the ward committee and library staff asked her to give the forms to the crowd of people and she complied, sanitising them before giving them the forms. "I had nothing to do with what happened on Friday. Maybe those who opened the library might know what led to that," said Opperman.
The national police communication centre that deals with Covid-19-related incidents had not responded to queries by the time of going to print.
People started coming to collect forms.
This gathering posed a serious threat of infection.
Police arrive to disperse the crowd outside the Hornlee library on Friday.
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