2 WOMEN DRINK IN POLICE VAN, ARRESTED

NHLANGANO – Usually, a sense of despair overwhelms many when they get locked up in a police van.

But not for Nokwanda Mdluli (28) of KaMzizi and Buhle Mkhonta (24) of Hlatikhulu, two brazen women who were picked up during a police raid on illegal shebeens on Sunday. The pair seemed to have welcomed the idea of being locked in the back of the police van with a stash of alcoholic drinks which had been confiscated during the police operation, and decided to enjoy the experience. Police officers, who were transporting the suspects to the Nhlangano Police Station, were caught off-guard when the women proceeded to drink about eight (250ml) cans of Smirnoff Guarana and one Flying Fish beer (500ml) while at the back of the police van.

Outing

It was the driver of the vehicle who discovered that the suspects had turned their predicament into some kind of outing. What caught the driver’s attention was the unusual noise which to emanated from the back of the van. He then took a peep through the vehicle’s rear end mirror, and saw something like cans that appeared to be swinging up and down. On close scrutiny, he realised that the two women were actually drinking the alcoholic beverages. The police officer first asked one of his colleagues to also ascertain if his eyes were not playing games with him, and the officers confirmed that the suspects were indeed drinking. The officers decided not to spoil the party for the two and continued with their journey to the police station, where their adventure came to an end. Upon parking the vehicle, the officers retrieved the nine empty cans of alcoholic beverages from the back of the van.

Interrogation

During a subsequent interrogation, the women confessed to drinking the alcoholic beverages, an act which was viewed by the officers as an attempt to destroy evidence. This attracted a charge for trying to defeat the ends of justice. At the back of the van, the women had been locked in with about 27 crates of different beer brands and several six packs of an assortment of ciders ranging from Flying Fish, Hunters Dry and Smirnoff Guarana, to mention a few.

It all started shortly after 2pm when officers were conducting a compliance inspection in different grocery shops around Makhosini and KaDlovunga in the Mahamba precinct on Sunday. During the inspection, it was established that some of the shop owners were also selling liquor illegally, as demonstrated by the number of residents who were found enjoying their favourite beverages outside the shops. According to the police, the operation sought to control the proliferation of drinking in residential places and to crack down on retailers who sold alcoholic beverages without a liquor trading licence. During the operation, officers searched two particular shops and found a lot of alcoholic beverages inside.

Confiscate

The officers then proceeded to confiscate the liquor and further charged the two women, who were looking after the stock. Both women were charged for the illegal sale of the booze. They were also slapped with a further charge, which was in relation to their act of consuming the alcoholic beverages while being transported to the police station. Each of the two counts attracted fines of E500, with the option to spend five months behind bars, for both women. The duo appeared at the Nhlangano Magistrates Court yesterday morning, where they entered guilty pleas. The offenders apologised for their behaviour and pleaded for leniency. Presiding over the matter was acting Nhlangano Magistrate Raymond Masimula.

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