Atenkosi Plaaitjie
Motorists in Nelson Mandela Bay can expect roving roadblocks across the Metro this festive season.
This is the word from Executive Mayor, Retief Odendaal, who says they will take a zero-tolerance approach to lawlessness on the roads particularly drinking and driving.
Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality, along with the South African Eastern Cape Liquor Board and South African Breweries, launched the Safe Summer Season on Monday, by holding a roadblock on the M4 highway.
Speaking to the media, Mayor Odendaal also issued a stern warning to residents to not get behind a steering wheel after consuming alcohol.
"There will be so many roving roadblocks over Nelson Mandela Bay not just to test drivers for drinking and driving but to also check the general condition of vehicles," he added.
Meanwhile, Eastern Cape Liquor Board spokesperson, Mgwebi Msiya, says the long-term partnership with the Metro is important.
"We have also brought our CEO to this campaign just to demonstrate the seriousness and importance of this campaign," Msiya added.
SA Breweries Regional Corporate Affairs Manager, Mthimuzi Lubelwana, says this is just one of the ways that the company wants to reduce alcohol-related fatalities by 10% by 2025.
SAB also donated two fully equipped alcohol evidence mobile centres to the Metro.
Lubelwana says these statistics reveal where SAB can invest further in Metropolitans and these alcohol evidence mobile also capture perpetrators within a five metre radius and this evidence is fed into courts.
"We want to say that we have a zero tolerance approach when it comes to drinking and driving. We also want to tell our holidaymakers to make sure that they have a designated driver," he added.
