Cape Town - A minibus taxi driver has been arrested for drunk driving after his vehicle overturned, injuring seven passengers, in Mowbray during Monday morning's peak traffic.
The taxi overturned on the ramp leading onto the N2 incoming at Mowbray, causing traffic to back up on the M5, while traffic on the N2 near the Mowbray bridge came to a standstill as officers cleared the scene while passengers were treated for injuries.
Passengers managed to crawl out of the overturned vehicle and looked dazed as they stood on the side of the road.
Emergency Medical Services transported seven women passengers to Groote Schuur Hospital for treatment, while aggravated taxi and bus drivers as well as irate motorists who were stuck behind the overturned taxi squeezed past on the pavement before authorities cordoned off the road.
'He wasn't even speeding'
One shocked passenger, who didn’t want to be named, said everything happened so suddenly.
“It was so fast, the driver wasn’t even speeding but we crashed,” the woman said.
The City’s executive director of safety and security, Richard Bosman said several minor injures were reported.
“This morning we had a taxi on the N2 incoming where the driver lost control and the vehicle overturned. Seven people were slightly injured and the taxi driver was arrested for being under the influence of alcohol,” he says.
74 arrests
The driver was among 74 motorists arrested, 24 of them for driving under the influence of alcohol.
Mayoral committee member for safety and security JP Smith said a driver and his passenger were arrested for assaulting a police officer, obstruction of justice, resisting arrest and riotous behaviour after being pulled over for ignoring a stop sign in Mfuleni at the weekend. It was later confirmed that they had been under the influence of alcohol - at 8 o'clock in the morning.
Street racing
A tip-off led the officers to illegal street racing in Mamre on Sunday, where about 600 people had gathered on Paradise Road. Six people were arrested for driving while intoxicated. Officers issued 49 fines for various transgressions.
“This was a first," said Smith. "We'll keep a close watch to ensure that we disrupt any chance of Mamre joining our list of illegal street-racing hotspots.
"Officers said the situation was very volatile. I'm not surprised, because we see countless examples of the public turning on law enforcement. It’s an indictment of society's relationship with law and order and something that cannot be condoned.”
He said about 200 people attending an illegal street- racing event in Bellville South kept traffic officers busy until 2am on Saturday.
“We have a culture of lawlessness that has to be arrested if we're going to make any meaningful pro gress in the fight against crime.”