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Photo: Twitter / Supplied

Watch: Drunk traffic cop caught stumbling around Mpumalanga shopping centre

To protect and serve? We doubt that: An officer in Mpumalanga is facing calls for his suspension, after ‘turning up to work drunk’ last week.

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Photo: Twitter / Supplied

A traffic officer in Lydenburg, Mpumalanga has gone viral for all the wrong reasons over the weekend, after footage of his drunken malaise through a local shopping centre angered social media users nationwide. There are now calls for the cop to be suspended, following the ‘contravention of his civic duty’.

Mpumalanga traffic officer ‘drunk on the job’

The video itself makes a conclusive case against the officer, who can barely stand. Several eyewitnesses reported that he and several colleagues were seen drinking booze in the car park before beginning their shifts. In another video, a female complainant reports that the law enforcement official ‘clearly smells of alcohol’.

He is confronted in a hardware store, but continues to stagger aimlessly through the aisles. The officer’s zombie-like movements take him outside, as he fails miserably to walk in a straight line. Through a considerable amount of effort, the man finally finds a place to sit down – and he can be seen suffering from the impact of excess boozing.

Watch: Drunk cop stumbles around Mpumalanga stores

  • – An earlier video, shot by this Mpumalanga local, allegedly shows the officers drinking together.

Political representatives weigh in on viral video

Werner Weber is the FF Plus’ Provincial Leader in Mpumalanga. He is advocating for a full investigation and ‘decisive action’, should the officer be found guilty of these indiscretions. Despite the damning evidence, Weber believes that due process must be followed before any decisions are made.

“According to the owners and employees at the Swembad shopping centre, there were reportedly also other traffic officers lounging and drinking in their cars. The incident occurred on Friday afternoon while the officers were stopping motorists to check their motor vehicle and driving licenses.”

“The relevant traffic officer’s conduct is in contravention of his civil responsibility and he should be suspended pending the findings of the investigation and if he is found guilty, decisive action must be taken against him. It is a shame that the public is expected to adhere to the traffic rules and regulations, while the officers violate the law.”