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A pastor travelling to St Lucia Beach for what was meant to be a cleansing and baptism ceremony instead ended up spending the day in police custody after allegedly being caught driving under the influence of alcohol.
The KwaZulu-Natal department of transport said the pastor was arrested by Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) officers during a roadblock on the R618 in St Lucia.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the department said the pastor had been travelling with members of his congregation following behind him when he was stopped by officers.
“A journey to St Lucia Beach for cleansing and baptism has turned into a journey to jail for a pastor in uMtubatuba,” the department said.
“Things escalated very quickly when a heavy smell of alcohol came out of a window, hinting at the possibility that the pastor had consumed Rain Dance and Smirnoff.”
The department said officers followed standard procedure by administering a breathalyser test.
“As per the normal process, RTI administered a breathalyser test which yielded a result of 0.360% blood-alcohol content.”
When questioned by officers, the pastor responded by quoting scripture.
“The pastor’s dismal failure of the test triggered a New Year’s Eve crossover question,” the department said.
“The pastor responded, ‘My sons, let me refer you to John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’.”
The arrest comes as the department continues its road safety enforcement campaign around KwaZulu-Natal.
Earlier this weekend, the department announced that RTI officers had arrested several motorists in Newcastle on charges related to drunk driving.
Those arrested included a panelbeater, a self-employed person, three unemployed individuals, two general workers, a pensioner, two drivers, an IT developer and a sales executive.
The department said it would continue intensifying enforcement operations to remove intoxicated drivers from the province’s roads and improve road safety.
TimesLIVE
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