NEW WAY TO DODGE BREATHALYSER

 MBABANE – Drink-drivers have found a new way to dodge the breathalyser.  This comes in the form of a capsule called Alkaline cup or water, which is sold by agents of a well-known multinational company which manufactures health and beauty products.

Alkaline cup, according to Wikipedia, converts acid water into alkaline water which when taken reduces the high acid level in the body thereby balancing the PH level of the body.
This is energised water of high quality that is free of chlorine, toxic and heavy metals, anytime, anywhere.

Product

Speaking to one of the agents selling the products of the company, she mentioned that the product helps drink-drivers in neutralising the alcohol in the body so that it was not detected by police when using the breathalyser.

She said the cup costs a whopping E1 250 and they normally got stock from South Africa to sell in the country.
“As much as I don’t recommend the product for the wrong reasons, it comes in handy for people who drink alcohol as it helps neutralise the alcohol in the system and it is very rare that one can be arrested for drink-driving after drinking the alkaline water,” she said.

Another product from the same company, which was recommended for the same purpose was Cordyceps Militaris, which is said to be a powerful immune booster. It stimulates the immune system by increasing the number and boosting the activity of natural killer cells (a type of white blood cell), which protect the body from viruses and bacteria.

It is also described as a powerful natural antibiotic used for treating a wide range of infections caused by bacteria and has a good number of interesting health benefits which include treating tuberculosis, staphylococcus, gonorrhoea, syphilis and many others.
It also costs around E1 200.

Commenting on condition of anonymity, one of the persons who purchased the product said it was better to pay the E1 200 in purchasing the product, which comes in a big box full of the alkaline water, than having to pay the hefty court fines that have a maximum of E5 000. He said it was working for them and as they successfully dodged the breathalyser.

Police Deputy Information and Communication Officer Nosipho Mnguni said police were trained to tell if a person was drunk without the use of a breathalyser and if they saw it in one’s actions that they were drunk, they could arrest that person.
She said they were not aware of the tactics that drink drivers were employing to dodge the breathalyser but the police would remain active in bringing offenders to book despite the tactics that they employ.

“We have a special way to tell, from a person’s actions and if they are drunk or not and if people think they would get away with it by employing dodgy tactics so that their alcohol content cannot be detected, they should think again because they can be arrested if police see the signs of drunkenness,” she said.
When asked how the matter would proceed in court if a person was arrested for drink-driving without the reading of the alcohol content, she made an example of people who are arrested the next day having run away from the police the previous day for the same offence.

Human Rights lawyer Sipho Gumedze was contacted on the matter and he stated that the only way a police officer can prove that a drink driver was indeed drunk when arrested was through the reading of alcohol content to justify the arrest.

Prove

He said what was criminalised by the Road Traffic Act 6 of 2007 was exceeding the alcohol limit that was allowed by the Act and to prove that one had exceeded the limit, a police officer had to furnish the court with the alcohol reading.

He said walking funny or shouting vulgar words didn’t qualify one to be drunk and police cannot then arrest people for drink-driving based on their actions.
“If police officers do that, they would be creating a situation where people will then be filing lawsuits against government and that is taxpayers’ money that would be paying for those claims,” he said.

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