MBABANE – More than half of the 18 people arrested for drunk driving during the MTN Bushfire Festival weekend were South African nationals, figures from the Mbabane Magistrates Court have revealed.
The offenders appeared before Principal Magistrate Fikile Nhlabatsi on Monday facing charges under Section 91 of the Road Traffic Act, which deals with driving while over the legal alcohol limit. Out of the 18, ten were South Africans, while eight were Emaswati.
Fines paid by the South African drivers totaled E43,000. Most were slapped with E5,000 fines or face two years behind bars if they fail to pay. The rest were fined between E2,000 and E4,000 depending on the alcohol reading recorded by traffic officers over the weekend.
The highest reading was recorded by Bongani Mabhuda, a South African whose breath alcohol level was 2.00mg/l – four times the legal limit. He was fined E5,000 or risk two years in prison. Another Swazi driver, Osoro Mthembu, followed closely with 1.85mg/l, receiving the same penalty.
Others fined E5,000 included Mlondi Simelane (1.50mg/l), Obakeng Boom (1.36mg/l), Simon Nosala (1.35mg/l), Clifford Khulu (1.19mg/l), and Mapome Monyanngane (0.98mg/l).
Among the Swazi nationals, some drivers received summons instead of fines. These include Sabelo Dlamini, Sandile Mbatha, and Ronnie Mlangeni. The total amount paid by Swazis came to E19,000.
The arrests followed a weekend of heavy traffic enforcement around the Bushfire Festival in the Malkerns area, where roadblocks were set up on major routes. Authorities say drink driving remains one of the biggest safety concerns during major events in the country.
A Mozambican national, only identified as Nhacassane, was also among those arrested. His breathalyser reading stood at 0.38mg/l, but his sentencing details were not available by the time of publication.
Below are the details of the cases, ranked from the highest to the lowest breath alcohol readings recorded:
| Name | Nationality | Alcohol readings (mg/l) | Sentence |
| Bongani Mabhuda | South African | 2.00mg/l | E5000/ 2 years Imprisonment |
| Osoro Mthembu | Swazi | 1.85mg/l | E5000/2years imprisonment |
| Mlondi Simelane | Swazi | 1.50mg | E5000/2years imprisonment |
| Obakeng Boom | South African | 1.36mg/l | E5000/2years imprisonment |
| Simon Nosala | South African | 1.35mg/l | E5000/2years imprisonment |
| Clifford Khulu | South African | 1.19mg/l | E5000/2years imprisonment |
| Mapome Monyanngane | South African | 0.98mg/l | E5000/ 2 years imprisonment |
| Tumiso Thathane | South African | 0.79mg/l | E4000/2 years imprisonment |
| Ronnie Mlangeni | Swazi | 0.79mg/l | Issued summon |
| Ndzingane Thabiso | Swazi | 0.74mg/l | E4000/2years imprisonment |
| Sabelo Dlamini | Swazi | 0.73mg/l | Issued summon |
| Mbatha Sandile | Swazi | 0.56mg/l | Issued summon |
| Njabuliso Langwenya | Swazi | 0.54mg/l | E3000/2years imprisonment |
| Simelane Sibusiso | Swazi | 0.49mg/l | E2000/2years imprisonment |
| Mvura Kudakwashe | South African | 0.48mg/l | E2000/ 2years imprisonment |
| Olascent Savadye | South African | 0.47mg/l | E2000/2years imprisonment |
| Lucky Maduna | South African | 0.44mg/l | E2000/2years imprisonment |
| Nhacassane | Mozambican | 0.38mg/l. |
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