Senior prosecutor arrested at four times over alcohol limit in KZN roadblock blitz
A WOMEN-led KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) roadblock operation nabbed 54 people in a single night of roadblock across the province. Among those arrested was a senior public prosecutor in Margate on the South Coast who was caught four times over the legal alcohol limit.
Image: KZN Transport
KwaZulu-Natal’s Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) has arrested a senior public prosecutor for allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol, raising fresh concerns about the extent of binge drinking in South Africa and the role of the legal fraternity in curbing it.
The 44-year-old prosecutor was stopped at 23:01 on Friday along the R620 Marine Drive in Margate, Port Shepstone. According to the RTI, her blood alcohol reading was 0.83 mg/L, which is four times the legal limit. She has been formally charged.
The arrest forms part of the RTI’s ongoing Zero Tolerance, No Nonsense, Alufakwa campaign, which has seen intensified operations across the province.
Over the past two weeks, more than 130 motorists have been arrested for driving under the influence, with 54 arrests recorded in a single night of roadblocks this week.
The arrests were spread across major hubs, including Durban (21), Pietermaritzburg (18), Ladysmith (14) and Empangeni (1).
Like with most RTI roadblocks in KZN throughout the Women's Month of August, Friday night’s operations were led by women officers, a move the RTI says highlights its commitment to both accountability and visibility in law enforcement.
Officials said the prosecutor’s arrest should serve as a catalyst for deeper reflection on the justice system’s role in combating alcohol-related road fatalities.
“Alcohol is ravaging families, creating orphans and widows, and leaving a trail of destruction. The legal fraternity also has a responsibility to help curb road fatalities caused by binge drinking,” said KZN Transport MEC Siboniso Duma in a statement.
Duma said studies estimate that alcohol contributes to 62 300 deaths annually in South Africa, while imposing an economic burden of more than R433 billion. Road traffic accidents remain among the leading contributors to these figures.
Despite high-profile arrests and intensified enforcement, the department conceded that policing alone cannot dismantle South Africa’s entrenched drinking culture.
“We must work together to save the nation from a pervasive binge-drinking culture,” said Duma.
The arrest of a prosecutor, someone tasked with upholding the law, exposes the pervasive reach of alcohol abuse and the challenges authorities face in creating a culture of accountability on the roads.