Drink and drive this Vodacom Durban July 2019 and you can bet that you will likely face jail time. 

This was the stern warning issued to all road users by KwaZulu-Natal MEC for transport, community safety and liaison Mxolisi Kaunda. 

In a statement on Thursday, Kaunda said that the department of transport had adopted a zero-tolerance approach in the province ahead of the popular horse race and fashion extravaganza, which will see thousands of people flocking to the city. 

Kaunda said a number of multi-disciplinary and overnight operations had been planned and more personnel would be deployed 24/7 over the busy weekend.

"Those who will be caught will spend the Durban July weekend in police cells. The directive is very clear to traffic officers – have no mercy with people who are violating the law. As the province, we are very serious about saving lives of innocent people and we will continue with our radical approach against errant motorists," said Kaunda.

According to the department's statistics for June, 71 of the 161 road users arrested were charged for drinking and driving. 

"The deployment of police and traffic personnel is part of ensuring tight security measures for the Vodacom Durban July and beyond."

He further assured locals and visitors of their safety, saying that all security agencies had been brought on board to ensure that the event was safe and incident free.