Pretoria - The Tshwane metro police department has pleaded with motorists to avoid driving under the influence of alcohol following the death of two of its members at the hands of an alleged drunk driver.
Spokesperson Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said the members were killed while assisting an off-duty member who had been involved in an accident on the R80 Mabopane highway on Saturday evening.
Mahamba said the two on-duty officers had rushed to the scene to assist their colleague at the accident.
He said while they were busy attending to the injured officer, a Mercedes-Benz drove into them, causing a second accident that killed the off-duty officer and one of the officers who was assisting her at the scene.
The other officer who was assisting sustained slight injuries and was discharged from the hospital yesterday.
Mahamba said the driver of the Mercedes-Benz was also injured, and he was arrested for suspected drunk driving.
“The department is saddened and shocked by the death of two of its officers, and would like to send heartfelt condolences to their families, friends, and colleagues. May their souls rest in peace.”
The spokesperson said although they wanted to urge people not to drive after consuming alcohol, they would also do their bit by conducting roadblocks to monitor the situation.
“Things are much quieter when alcohol is banned, but since sales have resumed we anticipate even more accidents related to drunk driving to take place now.
“Ideally, we would like people not to drive irrespective of the amount of alcohol they drink, but that is something we, unfortunately, cannot control.”
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the resumption of alcohol sales a week ago, citing the overall decline in new Covid-19 infections and saying this meant that it was possible to gradually ease some of the restrictions on gatherings, movements, and the sale of alcohol.
After President Ramaphosa moved the country to level 3 following the recommendations of the ministerial advisory committee on Covid-19, and inputs from the president’s co-ordinating council, the sale of alcohol at retail outlets was reinstated for off-site consumption between 10am and 6pm from Monday to Thursday.
In addition, alcohol sales for on-site consumption are permitted as per licence conditions up to 8pm.
Pretoria News