Swazi driver shot dead as new road laws kick in

MBABANE – A truck driver
seeking to flee draconian
new penalties for road
infractions that went
into effect this week in
Swaziland was shot dead
by police, police spokesman
Superintendent Vusi
Masuku confirmed to FTW.
The police version is
that Mphikeleli Dlamini, 26,
ran away from police who
stopped his truck in the
early morning hours at the
weekend. An officer gave
chase, a struggle ensued,
and Dlamini allegedly tried
to take possession of the
officer’s gun, which then
discharged, killing the
driver.
The truck owner, who
was a passenger in the
vehicle when the police
stopped it, said he and his
driver had been drinking
and Dlamini fled because
he could not afford the
new R5000 mandatory fine
imposed on intoxicated
drivers.
Road freight operators
have complained that the
new Traffic Offences Law is
a revenue-generating rather
than law enforcement
measure, and was
promulgated without the
transport industry’s input.
“The fact that fines
rose from R60 to R5000
overnight for even minor
infractions like talking on
a cell phone shows what
this is all about,” said the
operations manager of
a Matsapha-based road
freight company.