Tsek Tsekiso! Drunk and in-uni

Image: Screenshot Twitter

Tsek Tsekiso! Drunk and in-uniform NW constable given the boot

He is also scheduled to appear in court again on Friday, March 19 to face drunk driving charges.

Tsek Tsekiso! Drunk and in-uni

Image: Screenshot Twitter

A 39-year-old South African Police Service (SAPS) constable who was caught on video drunk and staggering in his official uniform has been fired, North West police confirmed Sunday.

In the video, a clearly drunk Constable Tsekiso Jonas Tshabalala, in full uniform, is seen struggling to stand steady on his feet while ‘inspecting’ the state vehicle after he crashed into a fence.

His incoherent speech and general lack of awareness compounded the shock amongst gathered locals.

Ironically, the constable’s name Tsekiso, according to the meaningslike.com website at least, represents “reliability, determination and professionalism.”

Struggling to stand on his feet

The former police officer was stationed at Wolmaransstad in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District, said North West SAPS spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone

“Tshabalala’s dismissal follows an internal disciplinary process which was instituted against him in terms of SAPS discipline regulations soon after he committed a misconduct on Saturday, 28 November 2020.”

“That was after a video depicting a fully uniformed and intoxicated Tshabalala struggling to stand on his feet to inspect damages on a state motor vehicle after he reversed [into] a fence at Extension 10, Tswelelang location in Wolmaransstad went viral on various social media platforms.”

The former constable, who was subsequently arrested and released on R500 bail after appearing in court, still faced charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and using a motor vehicle without consent.

He is due to appear in court again on Friday, March 19.

North West police commissioner Lt-Gen Sello Kwena, who at the time of the incident described the former member’s conduct as “unprofessional and unbecoming,” pointed out that the action taken and the sanction imposed would certainly send a clear message that the SAPS would not tolerate members who failed to adhere to the code of conduct, Mokgwabone said.