The North West Community Safety and Transport Management department said 36 fatalities have been recorded in the province since the start of the festive season. According to the department, the fatalities were because of several accidents. “Drunk driving has been identified as one of the major contributors of fatal crashes.As of the beginning of the festive season the province has recorded 36 fatalities from 31 crashes. This is 7% of the 512 fatalities in the Republic for the weekend leading to Christmas,” read a statement from the department.In one of the incidents, a 32-year-old Zimbabwean drive is expected to appear at the Brits Magistrates Court on Monday, for attempting to bribe a traffic official with a sum of R100, upon his arrest for drunken driving.About 30 drivers were also arrested in the Brits CBD and surrounding areas of Mothutlung, Letlhabile and Mmakau over the weekend.Meanwhile, the department MEC Wessels Morweng has applauded the officers work since the beginning of the festive period. “These crashes are causing us lot of pain and we continue to lose beloved ones due to avoidable accidents. This also cost the state millions of rands. We will not allow any drunken driver on our roads as this has recently been identified as one of the major contributing factors to crashes. Any contravention of any traffic statute will be met with harsh punishment. Anyone found behind the wheel while intoxicated will be locked up,” said Morweng.Moreover, the South African Breweries has donated the province a state-of-the-art Mobile Alcohol Evidence Centre, that will expedite detection and processing analysis of drunk driving incidents on the provincial roads.
