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.