Twenty-five people exit crammed South African minivan, flout lockdown rules

Twenty-five people exit crammed South African minivan, flout lockdown rules

This is the shocking moment a minivan crammed with 25 people was flagged down by police for flouting coronavirus restrictions.

The vehicle was pulled over in Pretoria, South Africa, on April 6 after traffic cops noticed passengers loaded in the back.

Footage shows how the driver and 24 passengers spilled out of the van as it travelled through villages.

The number of passengers was more than the vehicle is allowed to carry even before COVID-19 social distancing rules were introduced to stop the spread of the pandemic.

Onlooker Gezani Nairod said he was worried that the coronavirus will spread even more because of cases like this.

He said: "Some people are irresponsible.

They are willing to put anyone at risk just so they can do what they want.'' South Africa has extended its coronavirus lockdown for two weeks, meaning measures will remain in place until the end of April at the earliest.

Africa’s most industrialised nation has recorded the most confirmed coronavirus cases on the continent, at 1,934, but that number is expected to rise significantly as the government embarks on a mass testing drive.