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Petition is successful with 1,075 signatures
To: President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa
Decriminalise the Lockdown Regulations to decrease the number of people living with criminal records
A bill to clear the names of those who ended up with criminal records for breaching lockdown regulations was passed.
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Decriminalise the Lockdown Regulations, such that violations do not result in criminal records.
Over the past couple of months, South Africans have allowed the government to reasonably limit some of their most basic rights in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We tolerate this to keep ourselves and society safe.
This has by no means been an easy adjustment, and many people have - for various reasons - violated the Lockdown Regulations. These people have in turn (sometimes unwittingly) been issued with criminal records. It has been reported that over 230 000 arrests have been made for Lockdown-related offences.
Those who are unable or unwilling to pay the Admission of Guilt Fine are expected to appear before court to have their case heard. Those who are either not awarded bail or cannot afford the bail amount will await their trial in remand detention. The latter is primarily the most vulnerable persons in our society, including people from poor communities, homeless people, foreign nationals, including first time offenders. This results in a further overcrowding of our prisons, which places people at a high risk of contracting COVID-19.
Having a criminal record seriously impacts a person’s life and their ability to contribute meaningfully to society. It hampers a person’s ability to gain employment, travel, to apply for bursaries, among other things. President Ramaphosa has the power to decriminalise the Lockdown Regulations, which will protect the dignity and economic capacity of people in the long term.
Therefore we call on the President to:
a. Decriminalise the Lockdown Regulations, and implement alternative compliance
measures such, as diversion, that do not result in people being issued with criminal
records.
b. Call for the introduction of a Bill that effectively expunges criminal records issued
for Regulation-related offences during the Lockdown.
Over the past couple of months, South Africans have allowed the government to reasonably limit some of their most basic rights in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. We tolerate this to keep ourselves and society safe.
This has by no means been an easy adjustment, and many people have - for various reasons - violated the Lockdown Regulations. These people have in turn (sometimes unwittingly) been issued with criminal records. It has been reported that over 230 000 arrests have been made for Lockdown-related offences.
Those who are unable or unwilling to pay the Admission of Guilt Fine are expected to appear before court to have their case heard. Those who are either not awarded bail or cannot afford the bail amount will await their trial in remand detention. The latter is primarily the most vulnerable persons in our society, including people from poor communities, homeless people, foreign nationals, including first time offenders. This results in a further overcrowding of our prisons, which places people at a high risk of contracting COVID-19.
Having a criminal record seriously impacts a person’s life and their ability to contribute meaningfully to society. It hampers a person’s ability to gain employment, travel, to apply for bursaries, among other things. President Ramaphosa has the power to decriminalise the Lockdown Regulations, which will protect the dignity and economic capacity of people in the long term.
Therefore we call on the President to:
a. Decriminalise the Lockdown Regulations, and implement alternative compliance
measures such, as diversion, that do not result in people being issued with criminal
records.
b. Call for the introduction of a Bill that effectively expunges criminal records issued
for Regulation-related offences during the Lockdown.
Why is this important?
People who are being charged with offences under the current Lockdown Regulations are (sometimes unwittingly) being issued with criminal records. This is an issue that is affecting all members of society, and will have negative consequences far beyond the end of the Lockdown. Predictably, the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in society will be disproportionately impacted.
We would like to collect information about people's experiences of being issued citations (fines) for violations of the COVID-19 Lockdown Regulations, to understand how the Regulations have been enforced and its impact on people in South Africa. If you are willing to share your experience, please fill out this anonymous questionnaire: https://forms.gle/eRSZFouw2LeNfaiJ6
We would like to collect information about people's experiences of being issued citations (fines) for violations of the COVID-19 Lockdown Regulations, to understand how the Regulations have been enforced and its impact on people in South Africa. If you are willing to share your experience, please fill out this anonymous questionnaire: https://forms.gle/eRSZFouw2LeNfaiJ6