This, after he was slapped with a summons to appear in the Klerksdorp Magistrate's Court on 28 August for breaching lockdown regulations under the National State of Disaster Management Act. 

Police spokesperson, Sabata Mokgwabone, confirms that the 54-year-old nightclub owner paid the fine and was not obliged to appear in court as a result of the payment. 

On Wednesday, 19 August, the 54-year-old owner allowed more than 50 patrons into the club in which they failed to wear masks inside the facility. Videos and images of the event were widely shared across numerous social media platforms and drew a lot of criticism from concerned citizens who labelled the patrons captured in these videos as irresponsible and ignorant of Covid-19 ripple effects.

According to the South African Criminal Procedure Act, the payment of an admission of guilt fine will be the same as being convicted and sentenced in court. 

Since the inception of the coronavirus (Covid-19) lockdown regulations in March, thousands of South Africans have been fined for not adhering to the regulations. This includes the likes of Communications Minister, Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams, who pleaded guilty and paid a R1 000 fine for contravening lockdown regulations. This, after a picture emerged on social media of her having a meal at the home of former Deputy Minister of Higher Education, Mduduzi Manana, during the national lockdown. 

 OFM News