Over the last week, the City of Cape Town’s authorities arrested 375 individuals, among them a motorist that is one of the top 100 warrant dodgers on its records.
The individual has 167 outstanding warrants to the value of R148,550 for transgressions including speeding, overloading of a vehicle, and “many more driving offences that put the lives of other road users at risk,” said Alderman JP Smith, the City’s mayoral committee member for safety and security.
“The motorist was number 92 on the Traffic Service’s list of Top 100 motorists with outstanding warrants.”
The offender was arrested outside his home in Masiphumelele on Wednesday, 28 June, and is due to appear in court this week.
“Despite the high number of warrants against these offenders, they continue to operate and flaunt traffic laws,” said Smith.
“The arrest is a reminder that those who break the law will be found and have to answer for their offences. This directorate is resolute in our commitment to make the roads, and this city, safer for everyone.”
During general enforcement efforts over this period, Cape Town’s traffic services also recorded 29,611 speeding offences, issued 16,939 fines for various traffic violations, and impounded 250 public transport vehicles.
Drunk driving is a big problem
Smith highlights that drunk driving is among the biggest problems on the City’s roads today.
Last week, police officers made 99 arrests of which 89 which were for driving under the influence of alcohol, while metro police made 56 arrests of which nine were for drunk driving.
In one case, officers were patrolling the N2 freeway when they stopped a vehicle swerving over the lanes.
The 38-year-old driver admitted to being under the influence of alcohol and was subsequently arrested for drunken driving and detained at Nyanga SAPS.
In another case that happened on the same evening, the officers were busy with routine patrols in the Goodwood area when they were passed by a driver with the front-left passenger door and right-rear passenger door open.
They brought the vehicle to a halt on the corner of Voortrekker Road and Jakes Gerwel and the 47-year-old driver was found to be under the influence and was subsequently detained at Goodwood SAPS.
“There was an uptick in drunk driving arrests and it is what we’ve come to expect during the last and first weekends of the months,” said Alderman Smith.
“Driving intoxicated has become the norm and puts the lives of everyone on the road at risk as highlighted by the two incidents. It’s one behaviour we are determined to put an end to.”
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