Mbabane – At least 11 motorists accused of driving under the influence of alcohol appeared before the Mbabane Magistrate’s Court, where they faced charges of contravening Section 91(1) of the Road Traffic Act of 2007.
The accused appeared before Magistrate C. Nxumalo following their arrests during police operations targeting drink-driving offences.
Among those who appeared was Khanyiso Masilela, who pleaded with the court for leniency, explaining that he had driven after his grandfather fell ill and needed urgent medical attention.
Masilela told the court there was no one else available to drive the vehicle at the time and that the family needed to rush the elderly man to hospital.
After considering the matter, Magistrate Nxumalo fined him E800 or, alternatively, six months’ imprisonment.
Another accused, Siphelele Xaba, who recorded an alcohol concentration reading of 1.55 milligrams, told the court he believed he was fit to drive after sleeping for six hours.
Xaba explained that he had assumed the alcohol had cleared from his system before he got behind the wheel to return home.
The court, however, convicted him and imposed a fine of E800 or six months’ imprisonment.
The remaining accused also appeared on similar charges arising from separate incidents of alleged drink-driving.
The cases come as law enforcement authorities continue efforts to curb road traffic offences, particularly driving under the influence of alcohol, which remains one of the contributing factors to road accidents.
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