Easter weekend of madness as more than 15,000 arrested

In just three days of the 2026 Easter holidays, traffic officers arrested almost a 1,000 drunk drivers on 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 his arrest. 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.

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 1,215 vehicles were impounded in 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.

Duma said between Thursday and Saturday, they suspended 150 vehicles from their road networks and impounded 188 cars that did not have permits.

Meanwhile, police also said they arrested more than 15,000 suspects nationwide as law enforcement agencies intensified operations to curb crime and improve public safety.

National police spokesperson Brig Athlenda Mathe confirmed that the 15,840 suspects were arrested for a range of offences, including serious and violent crimes such as murder and rape from Monday last week until this past Sunday.

During this period, multiple law enforcement agencies led by the SAPS implemented heightened visibility patrols, roadblocks, and targeted crime-prevention initiatives, she said.

She said officers arrested 132 illegal and unlicensed firearms owners, including 1,097 rounds of ammunition that were seized, with Kwazulu-Natal being the province where most of the weapons were seized.

She said they also closed 532 illegal taverns and shebeens for non-compliance to the Liquor Act, and that 773 of those who were found to be selling liquor without a valid liquor licence were also arrested.

“By shutting down illegal taverns and arresting those who sell liquor unlawfully, law enforcement is taking a firm stand against environments that enable crime to thrive.

Mathe said they also arrested 1,342 suspects for assault GBH, 146 for murder, 123 for attempted murder, 189 for rape, 171 for house robberies and 334 for dealing in drugs.

In a house robbery case reported in Merebank in KwaZulu-Natal, unknown suspects broke into a residential area between Friday morning and Saturday night and stole, among others, what was described as “sentimental jewellery”.

Among items stolen are five laptops, four cellphones and gold jewellery.

Meanwhile, road crashes claimed multiple lives this Easter holidays, the latest having occurred on Monday morning when four people died and several others were injured in two separate accidents involving taxis in Mpumalanga.

Community safety, security and liaison spokesperson Moeti Mmusi said the first crash occurred at about 11am when a minibus taxi and a sedan collided in a violent head-on crash.

Three occupants of the minibus taxi died on impact while five other passengers managed to escape the wreckage with minor injuries, she said.

In the same morning, one person was killed when a Toyota Quantum, transporting passengers from Zebediela in Limpopo to Pretoria, overturned.

North West transport management spokesperson Oshebeng Koonyaditse said a pedestrian died ater being hit by a cara in Kgomotso outside Rustenburg on Sunday night.

Koonyaditse added that traffic volumes are expected to increase later, particularly on major routes such as the N4 and N12, as holidaymakers return home.