The taxi driver, left (with Shane Simpson), and hearse drivers were arrested.
Image: Facebook/Department of Transport
What do a speeding taxi driver and a speeding hearse driver have in common? Being arrested.
Both men were nabbed during recent enforcement operations by the KZN Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI). Despite the seriousness of the offences, the KZN Department of Transport's tongue-in-cheek communication on social media continues to draw attention, even after a series of bizarre incidents over the Easter weekend.
In the first incident, the taxi driver was initially thrilled to encounter a fluent isiZulu-speaking white RTI officer. But this quickly transformed into despair.
The officer in question, Shane Simpson, the acting provincial inspector for RTI in KZN, is well known for his "no-nonsense" approach to road safety.
According to reports, the excitement began when the taxi driver was finally stopped after being cornered. Simpson approached the situation with a famous line: #NenzaniLaEzweni, which translates to "What are you doing in the country?"
"Welelele. That excitement ended in tears," wrote the KZN Department of Transport (DoT) on its Facebook page.
The driver now faces three charges: clocking 150 km/h in a 100 km/h zone; failing to stop; and driving without a professional driving permit.
Just a week prior, the POST featured Simpson’s proactive measures that contributed to discussions with Siboniso Duma, the MEC for Transport in KZN, regarding submitting Simpson’s name to Guinness World Records as the "Custodian of Zero Tolerance."
This accolade stems from his notorious record as the only law enforcement officer to arrest his spouse (now ex-wife) for speeding.
Simpson’s adeptness at law enforcement clearly positions him in a league of his own, and the taxi driver had little chance of escaping justice.
In another bizarre encounter, an RTI officer apprehended a motorist clocking a staggering 168 km/h in a 120 km/h zone in Park Rynie.
This negligence was compounded by the fact that the individual was driving a funeral vehicle while intoxicated, with the hit song "Sobanana emathuneni" blaring loudly.
The DoT wrote (read this twice if you have to): "If you live in KZN, each passing hour you must give yourself a slap in the face, between your eyes in particular, just to check if you are dreaming, asleep or just confused...
"Wait for it. He was drunk. And speeding in a funeral parlour vehicle. If the above is not enough. Here is more. A popular song 'Sobanana emathuneni (we will see each other in heaven) was on loudspeaker. Sobonana emathuneni voices were so loud and made the steering wheel and windscreen vibrate."
RTI officers switched off the music and told the motorist "you are not in the graveyard yet".
They then unleashed a national question - #NenzaniLaEzweni
"The motorist waffled something about confessing."
RTI responded: "We are not interested in your confession because you are not on your way to heaven but to jail."
He was immediately locked up.
The RTI department's combination of humour and sternness in addressing these offences may just be the public wake-up call needed to foster greater awareness of road safety.