eThekwini Municipal workers arrested for drunk driving in council vehicles
Marked municipal vehicles
The driver
Image: Facebook/Durban Metro Police
THREE eThekwini Municipality employees were arrested over the weekend for driving under the influence while operating marked municipal vehicles.
Metro police emphasise that "no one is above the law" as part of their broader crackdown that saw 121 additional drunk driving arrests.
Among those apprehended were two employees from the Water and Sanitation Department and an intern from the Economic Development Department, all of whom were operating marked municipal vehicles at the time.
"No one is above the law," said metro police in a statement on its Facebook page.
"Municipal branding or employment status does not exempt any individual from enforcement action. These arrests demonstrate our continued commitment to road safety, accountability, and ethical conduct, both within and outside municipal structures."
Social media users reacted promptly, expressing a mix of approval and skepticism about the arrests:
Riyadh Mia: Best news I've heard in a long time.
Alvin Maharaj: No government workers must take vehicles home.
Mike Techet: Now that's a start. Now I like to see some taxis stopped and their drivers arrested or are you scared of the taxis?
Yvonne Nel Venter: Well done. This should be ongoing. Years ago there were regular surprise roadblocks. I haven't seen one for years.
Meanwhile, metro police reported that 121 others were reported for drinking and during a multi-area roadblock operation on Sunday.
Twenty-nine men and two women were arrested in Bester M25; and 38 men and 2 females were arrested on Inanda Road. On Umgeni Road 50 people were arrested.