A total of 16 drivers‚ including a provincial government official‚ were arrested for drunk driving at the weekend while en route to the annual reeds dance festival in eNyokeni‚ KwaNongoma‚ in northern Kwazulu-Natal.
The drivers were arrested by an integrated team of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport’s Road Traffic Inspectorate and the South African Police Service who kept a close watch on vehicles transporting maidens to the event‚ according to a spokesman for the province’s transport department‚ Kwanele Ncalane.
Those arrested included an official from the provincial government who was caught driving a state-owned vehicle under the influence of alcohol and without the necessary authorisation.
Two other provincial officials were also caught using state-owned vehicles without authorisation‚ Ncalane said‚ adding that the state-owned vehicles were impounded by police.
“The no-nonsense law enforcement team started manning the roads to eNyokeni from Thursday and had stopped well over 2‚500 vehicles for vehicle and driver roadworthiness and fitness tests. A total of 800 were drivers charged for various offences.
“This was part of the provincial government’s clampdown on reckless drivers and unroadworthy vehicles to ensure road safety over the weekend‚” Ncalane said.
The KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport‚ Community Safety and Liaison‚ Willies Mchunu‚ said the government had adopted a tough stance against drivers who endangered the lives of innocent people.
“In our budget speech this year we announced that the Government and its employees should take a lead in complying with road safety and traffic regulations. It is‚ therefore‚ embarrassing that one government official was caught driving under the influence of alcohol‚ and two for driving state vehicles without authority‚ and should therefore be meted out with deserved sanctions. Indeed‚ this is tangible evidence that there are no holy cows in our efforts to enforce traffic regulations‚” said Mchunu.
Mchunu said going forward the department would develop a holistic plan on how the provincial government should deal with officials who flouted traffic regulations while on duty or off-duty.
Source: RDM News Wire.
