He was speaking following reports of criminal incidents ranging from the destruction of public properties to gender-based violence.
Ramaphosa in his weekly address said; “I have a message for those callous criminals who think they can take advantage.
”It is despicable that criminals are using this period of the lockdown as a cover to break the law at a time when our law-enforcement authorities are occupied with supporting the national effort to contain the pandemic’’.
“Disturbing that during a time of such immense difficulty for our country, women and girls are being terrorised inside their own homes, forcing them to make desperate calls for help.
“A great indictment of our society that dozens of schools have been burgled, trashed or burnt to the ground. When the lockdown is lifted and learning resumes, thousands of children will have no school to return to, depriving them of the right to education, he said.
South Africa has since March 26 been under lockdown.
However, last week, Ramaphosa extended the lockdown by two weeks, to the end of April.
NAN