What our soldiers have been up to

Scores of soldiers who were deployed nationwide at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdown in South Africa are still out in full force.

On its official Twitter page, the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) regularly provides updates about the activities of the men and women in camouflage tasked with protecting our country.

Manning roadblocks, sanitising buildings and ensuring social distancing at social grant pay points are among their recent activities.

Over the weekend, soldiers in Thabazimbi, in Limpopo, were dispersed with water trucks to provide supplies in problematic areas.

It was the same situation in the Nkomazi local municipality in Mpumalanga, where the military filled water points for animals.

In Tembisa, Gauteng, soldiers were out in full force in the Moakeng section, ensuring the public was adhering to the 10pm curfew.

In Kroonstad, Free State, soldiers were deployed to graveyards and areas where community members were attending funerals. They made sure mourners adhered to the regulations regarding only 50 people in attendance.

At the Beitbridge border post, soldiers conducting roadblocks discovered thousands of illicit cigarettes. A large amount of these were smuggled into SA during the lockdown period when the sale and distribution of tobacco products was banned.

The SANDF said at the weekend it confiscated cigarettes worth almost R70,000.

TimesLIVE