Easter weekend of madness as more than 15,000 arrested

In just three days of the 2026 Easter holidays, traffic officers arrested almost a 1,000drunk driverson South African roads. According to Simon Zwane from the Road Traffic Management Corporation, the staggering 934 arrests made from Thursday to Saturday were 263 more compared to the same period last year. Among those arrested for drunk driving is a KwaZulu-Natal man who missed his own wedding which was supposed to happen on Sunday in Newcastle.

He was arrested on Saturday evening while allegedly driving drunk. Siboniso Duma, KwaZulu-Natal MEC for human settlements and transport, said the man called his father to come and pick up the car following hisarrest. When the father arrived at the scene, he was also arrested for attempting to drive his son’s car while also drunk, said Duma.

A 14-year-old boy also died when he overturned his father’s car several times. Allegations are that his father was his passenger and had allegedly been drunk when the boy took over the wheel on the M25 in KwaMashu. A motorist believed to have been intoxicated also crashed his vehicle into a ditch in KZN before allegedly fleeing from the scene on foot.

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Zwane said drunk driving remained a major concern on the country’s roads during the Easter long weekend. “Arrests related to driving under the influence of alcohol increased by a staggering 39% as law enforcement officers intensified their efforts to save lives,” Zwane said. “A total of 934 motorists were arrested from Thursday to Saturday countrywide.

This represents an increase of 263 compared to the same period last year.” Zwane said there had also been a noticeable 31.6% increase in the number of vehicles impounded. “A total of 1,215vehicles were impoundedin the period compared to 923 in the same period last year. “This means there were more vehicles transporting members without permits or in violation of permit conditions as people tried to make a quick buck,” he said.

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