A bride and groom have been arrested after their wedding was broken up for allegedly breaching South African coronavirus lockdown rules against public gatherings.
Police took 50 wedding guests into custody, including the pastor officiating the ceremony, local authorities said.
The wedding was taking place near uMhlathuze, a coastal part of South Africa in the KwaZulu-Natal region.
Local authorities said the people arrested would be released on "stringent" bail and charged after the end of South Africa's lockdown period, which is in the second week of at least three.
uMhlathuze mayor Mduduzi Mhlongo said: “We are appealing to everyone to take this virus seriously and work with government to clamp it down before it ravages the whole nation.
"The number of people being infected is rising sharply and now we are beginning to see people dying in our country like in the other countries of the world."
He added: "The lockdown by government is aimed at stopping the spread and to assist people not to be exposed to the virus by sitting at home for the duration of the lockdown.
"We must commend all those citizens who are abiding with the rules and encourage them to do so until the end. We believe this is for our own health and survival.”
South Africa has taken a strict approach to containing coronavirus, only allowing people to go outside for essential reasons and banning alcohol and cigarettes.
The country is also carrying out widespread testing to track the virus' spread.
South Africa has had nearly 1,700 coronavirus cases, according to Johns Hopkins University. A total of 12 people have died after contracting the disease.
