Download PDFOn 27 August 2024 a disturbing incident happened in Humakwini, Swaneville in Kagiso, when Mrs Naneki Mlambo’s (47) property which is near the corner shop, was damaged by a reckless driver. Mrs. Mlambo was sitting inside her house watching TV when she heard a loud noise. She went out only to discover that a car had crashed into her yard, driven by a drunk person.
It is alleged that the intoxicated person had attempted to test drive the car, leading to the destructive incident. Despite the clear warning on the beer bottle ‘Don’t drink and drive’ peoples continue to ignore the consequences brought by alcohol, especially when driving.
The community was shocked by the incident, with one concerned resident expressing worry about what could have happened if children had been sent to buy items at the shop near the crash or if they were playing around in the street.
South Africa is one of the countries reported to have a high number of people who drinks alcohol compared to other countries. With the country’s unemployment rising, young people are frustrated and drinking alcohol is the only option for many people, especially young people to cope with the depression. Unfortunately, this coping methods leads to destruction of peoples property, death, drug-addiction and neglect of personal responsibility. It is a sad reality that people have resorted to drinking everyday, Monday till Sunday.
Fortunately, Mrs Mlambo’s damaged property was swiftly repaired the following morning. But, the community was shaken by this accident. This accident is served as a serious reminder of the dangers of drinking and driving. After this whole incident, it became clear that the solution to try and solve the alcohol issue in our community and to prevent such incidents, the community must have awareness campaigns and education workshops on alcohol abuse and road safety. By educating the community about the risks and consequences of reckless driving as well as drinking and driving, we can prevent accidents and ensure a safer environment for all.
This article was submitted on 28 August 2024. You may republish this article, so long as you credit the authors and Karibu! Online (www.Karibu.org.za), and do not change the text. Please include a link back to the original article.
