“They'll never take my power,” chanted a grinning young man as he took a swig from a bottle at a get-together where revellers blatantly flouted lockdown rules in Johannesburg.

These were the scenes captured in photos and videos at a gathering in the city, apparently at the weekend, which are now the subject of an urgent police investigation.

There was little evidence of social distancing and face masks in the footage as hundreds of people flocked to Kwai Mai Mai in Jeppestown. Some revellers appeared to be openly drinking alcohol. 

Gauteng police commissioner Lieut-Gen Elias Mawela has ordered an investigation into the incident.

“The district commissioner of Johannesburg will, with immediate effect, heighten visibility and closely monitor the area and its surroundings as police, the SA National Defence Force, provincial traffic and metro police continue to collaborate to ensure adherence to the lockdown regulations,” said police spokesperson Brig Mathapelo Peters.

“It's so nice in Joburg,” said this reveller.

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