Jozi reeks of drunk drivers

Joburg drivers are continuously ignoring traffic regulations on drinking and driving, with as many as 800 transgressors being nabbed for the violation last month.

These cases are soaring in the City of Joburg, with Alexandra and Sandton topping the list from July.

The Joburg metro police department (JMPD) on Wednesday released its monthly crime stats for November, which showed that 821 motorists were arrested last month alone.

Mayor Herman Mashaba said this was concerning. “We have a culture of lawlessness that manifests itself in ever-increasing drunk-driving cases.

“Transgressions such as drinking and driving cannot go unpunished. If allowed, such behaviour graduates to reckless driving, which puts the lives of innocent people in grave danger,” Mashaba said.

The number of cases stood at 671 in October. In July, 656 motorists were nabbed and 718 in August. In September, the number dropped to 664.

“It is important to note that the longer people continue committing what may be considered, at first, minor infringements without facing any meaningful punishment we are building a society of habitual lawbreakers.

“We simply can no longer be told to pass additional by-laws to combat crime when more decisive action by agencies comprising the national criminal justice system - specifically the police and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) - is what we need to rid our country of rampant crime permanently. If they fail to act, we will,” Mashaba added.

Drunk-driving cases also top the list of the most reported offences in the city’s eight regions.

Alexandra and Sandton recorded a high number of arrests, with 149 last month. From July to September, these areas topped the list with a total of 430 arrests in three months.

The inner city came second with 98 arrests last month, while Midrand and Soweto recorded 88 and 82 arrests respectively.

From July to September the inner city recorded 343 arrests while Midrand had 130 and Soweto 258.

The JMPD has been releasing crime stats since September with the aim of tracking crime trends and keeping residents informed about which areas were problematic.

JMPD chief David Tembe warned that traffic officers would be out in full force this holiday season and would do their job without fear or favour.

“Our deployment strategy includes having vehicles on the freeways and on streets with a high rate of fatalities. We’re going to raid places of entertainment, they must comply. We’re going to visit all the parks because that is where people celebrate. We want people to celebrate freely. We will protect them and in protecting them we expect them to abide by the rules,” Tembe added.

Some of the key statistics were the recovery of 121 stolen or hijacked vehicles and 16 firearms.

“Across the city, driving under the influence, possession of a stolen vehicle, and possession of or dealing in drugs were the biggest concerns. JMPD conducted over 500 operations, yielding 50 public-drinking arrests, the discontinuation of 22 vehicles and over 100 arrests,” Mashaba said.

“It is not enough to talk tough on crime. Our children and their children will judge us for our actions and not our words. We have focused on the work of making Joburg a safer place, initiating the recruitment of 1500 new metro police officers and establishing specialised units,” he added.

Transport Minister Blade Nzimande was expected to brief the media in Pretoria today on the preliminary festive season road safety campaign status.