Drunk driving increase in KZN
Zikalala appealed to motorists to take responsibility for their actions when they get behind the wheel
The number of Zululanders driving under the influence of alcohol has been increasing drastically.
King Cetshwayo cluster police spokesperson, Captain Mbongeni Mdlalose, said that at least a dozen people were charged last week.
‘People have become more reckless since the commencement of Level 1 restrictions. More people are driving under the influence of alcohol and are not respecting the curfew.
‘Some taverns are operating after their curfew times.’
KZN Premier Sihle Zikalala also told the media last week that the number of car accidents in KZN has increased as the country downscaled to the lower lockdown level, with 106 fatalities reported.
Zikalala appealed to motorists to take responsibility for their actions when they get behind the wheel.
‘As we continue adopting a hard line to enforce safety on the roads, which we will strengthen even more as we approach the festive season, we once again appeal to motorists to play their part by adhering to the rules of the road.
‘No matter how many law enforcement officers we may deploy, we can never police every aspect of motorists’ behaviour.
‘We all have a responsibility to move away from reckless practices such as speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, overloading and failing to keep our vehicles roadworthy, because these always have disastrous results,’ said Zikalala.
He said in terms of crime, KZN’s rate was much lower compared to the same period last year. Between 21 September and 10 October, KZN recorded a 4.2 per cent decrease in contact crimes, which include murder, attempted murder, sexual offenses and assaults.
Arson and malicious damage to property cases showed a 3.5 per cent decrease, while property crimes such as burglary, theft of motor vehicles and stock theft dropped by 9.3 per cent.
Shoplifting, theft and fraud cases decreased by 5.4 per cent.
‘The picture is not all that rosy though. Over the past few weeks KZN has captured the news headlines for the number of indiscriminate killings of men, women, and children.
‘We are fighting two pandemics and there is something that urgently needs to be done to change the culture of violence that is claiming arguably as many lives as Covid-19,’ said Zikalala.
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