Drunk drivers could spend up to seven days in jail
In an interview with eNCA, the RTMC's CEO, Advocate Makhosini Msibi explained the reason for this tougher action.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has announced that it wants to enforce harsher sentences on drunk drivers on South African roads.
If the plan goes their way, drunk drivers could see themselves spending at least seven days behind bars before being entitled to apply for bail.
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In an interview with eNCA, the RTMC’s CEO, Advocate Makhosini Msibi explained the reason for this tougher action. He said: “The country is under siege, you can take it from the economic perspective. The carnage is costing the fiscus R173 billion per annum, so we can’t help but deal with this matter decisively. Some of the families are left without parents, without breadwinners and some of the children are left paralysed because of the reckless behaviour of our road users. For that reason, we deemed it prudent and proper to reclassify the road traffic offences which the public see as minor offences, as they are actually serious offences”.
If this offence is reclassified, drunk drivers could be treated in the same way as those accused of rape and murder in terms of criminal procedure. “Currently, if you are arrested under the influence of liquor you are given bail in terms of section 59 of the Criminal Procedure Act 51 of 1977 by the police officer in charge at the police station. What we are calling for is the implementation of section 60 of the Act – once you are arrested you must make a formal bail application. On top of that we are saying reclassify [the offence] as a Schedule 5 offence, so that you have to spend seven days in jail before you can apply for bail. This will send a message to the public that these are serious offences,” Msibi explained in the interview.
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