A major drunk driving crackdown in KwaZulu-Natal led to the arrest of 59 motorists, including a soldier and a taxi driver with a blood-alcohol level 20 times over the limit.
A South African National Defence Force (SANDF) soldier on duty and a minibus taxi driver transporting passengers were among dozens of motorists intercepted and arrested for drunk driving during a massive law enforcement sweep across KwaZulu-Natal this weekend.
The high-profile arrests were part of the province’s ongoing #NenzaniLaEzweni campaign and Operation Shanela, which saw more than 2,000 traffic officers and police personnel deployed across key transit points.
According KZN MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, the multi-disciplinary operations successfully averted feared disruptions along major freight corridors while netting a wide array of public servants and professionals driving under the influence.
In Ladysmith, a routine roadblock saw an on-duty SANDF soldier was stopped and subsequently arrested by the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI). In the same operation, authorities stopped a minibus taxi packed with commuters, only to discover the driver had a blood-alcohol level a staggering 20 times over the legal limit.
