"Then five cops walked down to the Point and chased everyone out of the water. Merry Christmas!"
Wild times in South Africa if examining or riding waves is your game.
At Jeffreys Bay, a man was arrested for checking the surf with his fourteen-year-old son and, on the beach, two surfers were busted, had their boards confiscated and were threatened with jail time.
“Then five cops walked down to the Point and chased everyone out of the water. Merry Christmas,” says BeachGrit reader Garth Robinson, owner of j-bay.com.
The man arrested for surf checking is Johan Rossouw, Robinson’s neighbour .
“He was just looking at the surf while sitting on a neck (bench) in the car park at Point beach J-Bay, probably the most consistent rideable wave in South Africa,” says Robinson. “They issued him with two fines. He reported the situation to the Internal Investigations Unit of the South African Police Services (the cops didn’t realise they were arresting a retired police man). He has handed in his statements and and filled out J88 forms to go along with his photos of bruising sustained when being forced into the cop van in front of his kids… the cops are on an almighty power trip here at the moment. They drove in fully armed and in bulletproof riot gear to chase tourists and locals as if they are criminals while they are abiding by the law.
“The residents of Jeffreys Bay are outraged at what has taken place in our once tranquil surfing village, and we want to world to know about how the cops have zero clue as to how to enforce the draconian laws we have found ourselves under here.
“Due to our beaches and parks being closed we are forced into closed spaces like shops, malls and made to be in closer contact with others, whereas beaches and the sea offers us safe space to exercise and avoid infection. This country is using the State of Emergency as a cover to make South Africa just another socialist jackboot dictatorship.”
A marked turnaround, of course, from nine months ago when a vacationing American doctor ignored lockdown and enjoyed epic Supers solo thereby provoking an outpouring of hate from locals.
The only thing keeping this guy safe was social distancing, wrote our correspondent.
“I got my ass handed to me through WhatsApp and through the community,” said Joseph Hardeman.
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Obama won a Nobel Prize for his efforts to bring people together. You’re free to think that was nothing.
Maybe you think it is good to have a divided nation with people killing each other on the streets, vandalising stores, burning buildings, etc.
you a big fan of conspiracy theories?
I’m seeing that they are able to separate out COVID being the cause, and it’s alarming. 1 of 3 people who go to the hospital with it will not leave except on a gurney. The other stuff you’re saying on politicians–that’s where Republican policies, specifically, at federal and where they’re in power, state levels (look at South Dakota, for example), have failed the US. Other parts of the world with better leadership have handled these issues with much better policies, that also don’t deny science or that racialize the COVID (“Wuhan flu.”). We could have just had a hard lock down back in April for 3 to 4 weeks, messaged with compassionate but firm leadership, and instead of bailing out billionaires we just supported working families, and it would have been solved. Simply do contact tracing for breakouts through the summer. Be better prepared for the inevitable fall/winter uptick with another round of stimulus checks to see us through a 3-week shutdown. Problem solved. But nope, we get what we get in this country–total shit show, with half the people in denial. and of them 1/4 are commenting on BG.
Communism destroyed the middle class? This Nobel Prize economist thinks otherwise.
https://www.marketwatch.com…
There will be no surf time down the lithium mines
Communisme destroyed the middle class? This Nobel Prize economist thinks otherwise.
https://www.marketwatch.com…
This is now required as we transition to a zero world population growth model.
Sounds great?
Beaches (that are not crowded) are probably the safest places to which you could go. Generally speaking, the air is refined and the ocean itself is a healing machine in more ways than just physically (at least for me). One day we’re going to look back at instances like this (article) and laaaaaugh! (I hope)
Crazy stuff. Even if the infection rate is so high that they think closing the beaches is a good idea, they could keep surfing allowed. Where I live they did that when things were bad. Beach closed but water sports allowed. It was very nice to go for a surf and always find parking spots available near the beach.
Cancel the police!
“just another socialist jackboot dictatorship”
Well, it’s comforting to know the crackpot conspiracy shit isn’t limited to just our friends here in the US.
Been watching footage of Cheyne lately. What did you like about the boards?
Well, the price was right! Truth be told they were very difficult to ride. Interestingly, some of the best sessions were in bigger waves.
I remember seeing pics in the mag of Cheyne on a 5″8″ or so at Waimea, also big Cave Rock. Those boards were so thick and wide, so takeoffs on big waves didn’t seem to be an issue. Lot of volume.
Didn’t you run this same story in July? Or are you just plagiarizing yourself as 2021 wraps up? This site makes Groundhog Day seem like a quaint expose on mental illness…
So Mr. Robinson is stating as fact that South African authorities are FORCING citizens into cramped and crowded indoor spaces??? I believe Mr Robinson would be very happy if he relocated to Huntington Beach.
Defund lefty science
Defecate on socialism
Defend humanity
Most def!!
*sigh* bexy bexy bexy … sometimes your comments are so stupid I think there must be a genius insight somewhere in there … but no, they’re just stupid comments … *sigh*
You’ll live.
Not if they get COVID, eh?
So deadly
Indeed. 1 of every 1000 Americans will have died from it within 1 year. Unless your point is it’s not really deadly, like in NZ, in which case your point really is that the Trumpublicans you want to be are really that inept and deadly.
Again with the politics
Following your lead, Bexy. And why not–it is 2020 after all.
Fair enuff
For political enthusiasts it’s been an epic year!!
Every single one of us, the devil inside…
For a laugh, have a look at the 2 women cops in Calgary trying to take down the kid for playing hockey on an outdoor rink a few weeks ago.
Dickhead deserves everything he gets.
Gotta love our neighbors to the north. We never hear any news from up there.
The sun never sets on the British empire.