Staff Reporter
KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) road traffic authorities arrested 27 drivers, including four women, for drunk driving in Umhlanga Rocks and Durban North on Friday night, saying one driver had a blood alcohol concentration 10 times above the legal limit.
The drivers, aged between 21 and 58, are due to appear in court on Monday.
The province’s transport department said on Saturday it was tightening case preparation to improve the chances of convictions.
“The [Road Traffic Inspectorate] is following the criminal procedure act by working with nurses deployed by Durban Metro Police and the KZN Department of Health,” the department said in a statement.
“[N]urses are managing the mandatory processing of blood samples drawn from motorists.”
The arrests are the latest in a sustained provincial crackdown on impaired and dangerous driving since late 2025.
The crackdown has been driven by concern over alcohol-related driving, speeding and holiday-period fatalities.
The department is targeting a reduction of road deaths by 10% over the Easter holidays.
The province said this week it would mount 148 multidisciplinary roadblocks and more than 118 speed operations in high-risk areas.
In Saturday’s statement, the department said: “More than 80 roadblocks, focusing on drunk driving, will be executed under the auspices of the #NenzaniLaEzweni Operation,” which is part of the Easter holidays and Passover weekend road safety plan.
“Our message has not changed and is very clear: drink and drive and earn yourself a criminal record. You also stand a good chance of spending 48 hours in holding cells with hardened criminals.”
INSIDE METROS