Staff Reporter
KwaZulu-Natal’s transport department said on Monday a cyclist stopped during a weekend road safety operation in Estcourt was lawfully subjected to a breathalyser test.
The department made the statement in response to the “mixed reaction” of a photo it posted of the male cyclist being breathalysed during the province’s #NenzaniLaEzweni operation.
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The department did not say whether the cyclist passed or failed the test.
It said its Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) team had acted in line with the National Road Traffic Act by administering the test.
“Cyclists, like motorists, can be breathalysed on public roads and arrested if found to be under the influence of alcohol,” Transport MEC Siboniso Duma said.
The department said more than 120 motorists were arrested for drunk driving over the weekend — 68 in Estcourt, eight in Empangeni and 43 in Kokstad.
They included “taxi drivers, a mayor’s bodyguard, a metro police officer from Gauteng, truck drivers, an IT specialist, an Eskom technician, nurses, teachers, a house husband and a pensioner”.
The department said a total of 5,689 motorists had been arrested since 15 August 2025, when it ramped up its road safety campaign.
“They were removed from our road networks before they could kill innocent people and in the process create orphans and widows,” Duma said.
