Drunk drivers face new penalty

Motorists who destroy road light and electricity poles while driving under the influence of alcohol could face a tougher penalty if a proposal by Parliament is adopted.

Speaker of Parliament Sameer Suleman has proposed that offenders should replace damaged poles instead of only paying fines, arguing that drivers must take direct responsibility for the costs of their actions.

Speaking in Parliament on Monday during a discussion on vandalism of public infrastructure, Suleman said many electricity poles are being knocked down in road accidents, with a significant number of the crashes involving drunk drivers.

“Most of our poles for electricity have been dropped. Three quarters of those accidents are drunkards. They happen early in the morning,” Suleman said. “Instead of charging them something as a fine, why can’t we tell them to be replacing? Because in the end, we’ll have no poles left. You drop it, you raise it.”

The Speaker made the remarks after Zomba Thondwe MP Dumisani Lindani raised concern over the theft and vandalism of railway infrastructure, arguing that offenders are receiving punishments that do not reflect the huge public investment being made in transport infrastructure.

Responding to the Speaker’s proposal, Minister of Homeland Security Peter Mukhito agreed with the principle but said such a measure would require legal backing.

“Indeed, that’s a very good proposal. However, we need this House to come up with that law; otherwise, we cannot, in isolation, start to bring in things which are not in the law,” Mukhito said.

Minister of Justice Charles Mhango also told Parliament that his ministry is working on legislation specifically aimed at tackling vandalism of public infrastructure, saying the proposed law would address concerns raised by lawmakers.

If adopted, the proposal would shift some of the financial burden of repairing damaged public infrastructure from taxpayers to those responsible for destroying it, while also serving as a stronger deterrent against reckless driving and vandalism.