KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport and Human Settlements, Siboniso Duma, has praised motorists and traffic officers for helping to apprehend a drunk driver who caused chaos on the N2 near uMtubatuba on Sunday night.
The driver, who was reportedly speeding, overtaking on solid white lines and swerving into oncoming traffic, nearly collided head-on with Chief Provincial Inspector Thulani Mthembu of the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI).
Inspector Mthembu gave chase and, with the assistance of vigilant road users, managed to stop the vehicle about a kilometre down the road.
“We commend motorists and members of the public who worked with our highly efficient, energetic, and dedicated team from Road Traffic Inspectorate to ensure the arrest of this unruly motorist,” Duma said in a statement on Monday.
A breathalyzer test confirmed the suspect was three times over the legal alcohol limit of 0.05g/100ml. He was taken into custody at KwaMsane Police Station, where a case was registered under number 200/09/2025. The driver faces charges of drunk driving as well as reckless and negligent driving, and is expected to appear in court soon.
Duma linked the incident to previous tragedies on the same stretch of road, noting that three members of the Mavimbela family had died in a horrific crash there just weeks earlier.
The MEC also raised concerns about an earlier case in which a drunk driver who caused multiple crashes on the N3 and allegedly assaulted an RTI officer was mysteriously released.
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“It will be an abdication of my responsibility not to support our RTI team. They have responded positively and with agility to my mandate that they should be firm and sustain the Zero Tolerance, No Nonsense, and Alufakwa campaign,” Duma stressed.
He revealed that 93 drunk drivers were arrested in the province over the past weekend, pushing the tally to 293 arrests since August 2025.
“The increase in arrests is a clear indication of the efficiency and dedication of RTI,” Duma said, adding that he plans to personally attend some of the court proceedings against drunk motorists to support traffic enforcement teams.
