RTMC reports 125% increase in drunk driving arrests compared to 2024

Picture shows a driver who tried to bribe a traffic officer

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has reported a 125% increase in drunken driving arrests compared to the previous year.

A total of 4 106 arrests have been recorded for driving under the influence from December 1 to 25, 2025.

The RTMC also revealed that it had arrested 48 people for attempting to bribe officers during the same period.

RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane says this marks the highest number of such arrests ever recorded.

“Our law enforcement officers had adopted a hard stance on drunken driving. We had deployed officers throughout the country, not just for visibility but so that they can test drivers, test vehicles for roadworthiness and look for those vehicles that are not fit to be on the road. So this is a result of that deployment. They stopped more than 1.2 million vehicles on all roads, even on the back routes and secondary routes that some people usually use to evade traffic enforcement.”

34 motorists, including a court interpreter, arrested for drunk driving in Ladysmith.#ArriveAlive #DontDrinkandDrive @KZNTransport pic.twitter.com/uEKrf6a0R8

— Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) (@TrafficRTMC) January 4, 2026