DURBAN - Twenty-five tickets were issued for various traffic crimes, five drivers were arrested for driving under in influence of alcohol and two vehicles were suspended, as KwaZulu-Natal head of transport, community safety and liaison Peggy Nkonyeni intensified road safety operations at the start of the festive season.
On Sunday morning, Nkonyeni led an integrated law enforcement operation at the Kosi Bay border in the Umhlabuyalingana municipality, mainly targeting cross border crimes such as car theft. Over the years, the area has been the target of criminals who steal cars and take them across the border.
The operation comes after the launch of the Integrated Safer Plan by Premier Sihle Zikalala on November 30 in Durban, the department said. The plan outlines a number of activities during this year’s festive season to curb crime and carnage on the roads.
“This is just the highlight of how our festive season will look like. We are tired of people who disobeys traffic laws,” Nkonyeni said of Sunday’s crackdown.
“We want people to know that our roads are not their playground, and we are going to be hard on all those people. We are also sending a clear message to criminals are terrorising people around here by stealing their cars that we want this thing to end.”
The operation took place the morning after seven people were killed in a crash on Saturday evening on the R56 road between Richmond and Pietermaritzburg.
Preliminary reports suggest that the driver of a light motor vehicle was trying to overtake on a solid line when they crashed into a full-loaded Toyota Quantum, the department said.
Nkonyeni has directed that a thorough investigation be carried out into the cause of the crash.
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