Metro Police arrested a motorist found fast asleep behind the wheel while blocking the right-turn lane at the N2 on-ramp to Jakes Gerwel Drive in Cape Town on Saturday, 29 August 2026. The driver was allegedly so intoxicated he could not keep his vehicle moving or stay awake, according to City of Cape Town Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security JP Smith.
Officers discovered the stationary vehicle at about 13:40 and woke the driver, who exhibited slurred speech and the smell of alcohol. He was arrested at the scene for driving under the influence, as first reported by the Cape Argus on 31 August.
“It is shocking to think the driver was so inebriated he couldn’t keep his vehicle going or stay awake behind the wheel,” Smith said. “Driving drunk puts lives at risk and shatters families.”
The arrest formed part of a wider weekend enforcement operation in which City Metro Police made 120 arrests, including 32 for driving under the influence. Across all City enforcement departments, 407 arrests were recorded over the past week, with traffic officers issuing 50,696 fines and making 50 arrests — 43 of them for drunk driving.
The City’s Public Emergency Communication Centre logged 2,914 calls for assistance over the weekend, including 197 assault reports, 71 domestic violence incidents, and 151 vehicle and pedestrian road accidents. Smith said the spike followed a familiar end-of-month pattern.
“This has become par for the course on month-end weekends,” he said. “Revelry impacts neighbours and spills over onto our roads and into violence as physical assault calls rose by more than 50%, while reports of domestic violence and accidents increased.”
The Jakes Gerwel Drive interchange connects densely populated Cape Flats suburbs to the N2, one of the busiest highways in the Western Cape. A driver losing consciousness at this junction in broad daylight highlights the persistent danger impaired motorists pose to commuters navigating the corridor daily.
The driver’s identity, exact breath-alcohol reading, and any court appearance have not been confirmed in available reporting, and no SAPS Western Cape media release has been issued for this specific arrest. Cape Flats News will update this report once court proceedings or further official confirmation becomes available.