62-Year-Old Truck Driver Lost His License Just Because He Took A Sip Of Alcohol Before Driving
A 62-year-old long-distance truck driver in Eswatini has lost his commercial driver’s license for life after admitting in court that he took “just a sip” of traditional beer before getting behind the wheel.
According to reports from Mbabane, the driver, Sipho Kunene, appeared before the Magistrate’s Court after his 22-tonne truck veered off the MR3 highway and crashed into a roadside ditch near Matsapha. Fortunately, no one was injured, but the accident caused heavy traffic for hours as maize meal spilled from the overturned vehicle.
Kunene told the court that he had attended a family cleansing ceremony earlier that day and felt culturally obliged to taste the ritual beer. “It was not for pleasure, Your Worship. It was respect — just to wet my lips,” he said. However, a breathalyzer test showed his alcohol level at 1.5 mg/l, three times higher than the legal limit of 0.5 mg/l.
Prosecutor Thandi Dlamini argued that cultural customs cannot override road safety laws. Magistrate Nomsa Mhlanga agreed, calling Kunene’s defense “culturally insensitive to safety realities.” He was found guilty of driving under the influence and reckless driving, fined a total of E5,800, and had his commercial driving license permanently revoked — ending his 38-year career.
Outside the court, his wife, Thoko Kunene, expressed heartbreak, saying the loss of his license means losing their only source of income. Meanwhile, Eswatini’s Road Safety Authority praised the ruling, stressing that “culture must not be used as a shield for lawlessness.”
More photos, courtroom updates, and expert reactions on the case are available on SouthReport.
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