Mbalula must follow through on his anti-drinking talk

His self-appointed nicknames include Mr Razzmatazz, Mr Fearfokol and now Mr Fix. Who will ever forget how he urged the Springboks to “gaan moer hulle” before they left for the Rugby World Cup in 2011 when he was the sports minister.

Or, also as sports minister, how he labelled Bafana Bafana “a bunch of losers” after a dismal showing at the Caf African Nations Championships on home soil in 2014.

As police minister, on more than one occasion, he vowed to cut crime, while he has also flip-flopped on a number of occasions with regards to the controversial e-toll system, most recently announcing we would have clarity on government’s stance on the future of the e-tolls before Christmas.

December 25 has come and gone. But, dare we say it, Mbalula made some sense this week when he declared a war on motorists who drive while under the influence of alcohol.

“It can’t be business as usual. Drunken driving … it’s a mess.

It causes carnage,” Mbalula told eNCA. “Drunken driving is a mess for our country and I intend to clamp down heavily in terms of the law. I want to put them in jail for drinking and driving.”

While fatalities on the road over the past month are down compared to previous years, it is early days yet.

New Year’s Eve is tomorrow, and a number of motorists will be heading back from their holidays over the next few weeks.

“There are culprits who are persistent in doing things like drinking and driving … losing one life is too many,” Mbalula told SABC.

He is right. One life lost, is one too many. Coming up with harsher sanctions for those that don’t obey the rules on our roads is a must.

However, actions speak louder than words. Let’s hope this time Mbalula backs up what his mouth is saying.

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