Relieving himself in the car park of a shopping mall proved a costly misdemeanour for a KwaZulu-Natal man.
Traffic police in Richards Bay issued a R2,000 fine to the man who urinated at the Boardwalk Mall on Tuesday.
Ward councillor Henning de Wet posted the fine on social media platforms and it has been widely shared on neighbourhood groups.
De Wet said: “This brazen offender found out the hard way today when he audaciously urinated publicly at the Boardwalk Mall in Richards Bay. This booked him a ticket to court or to pay a R2,000 fine to avoid a criminal record or a taste of imprisonment without the option of a fine.
“Well done to the City of uMhlathuze traffic department, this is a step in the right direction.”
According to the ticket, the incident happened in the mall’s parking lot.
Traffic police earned praise from residents on various Facebook groups.
One said: “Yes, great, all those that urinate in public must be fined.
“They cause a stink in towns and parks. Must be implemented immediately in all towns. It’s also a disgrace and below the dignity of a human to simply unzip and urinate in front of women and kids.”
Another resident said: “Hope this is implemented throughout KZN. People have lost respect and the place stinks.
“More toilets must be made available at all places and cleaners too.”
But one person did not agree, saying the government “should be doing more important things like finding murderers, rapists, vehicle thieves … the list goes on. When the malls close their toilets, when there is no water … people have no choice.”
In other news – Former US funeral home owner jailed for selling body parts
A former funeral home owner in Colorado, US, was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison on Tuesday for defrauding relatives of the dead by dissecting 560 corpses and selling body parts without permission.
Megan Hess, 46, pleaded guilty to fraud in July. She operated a funeral home, Sunset Mesa, and a body parts entity, Donor Services, from the same building in Montrose, Colorado. The 20-year term was the maximum allowed under law. Learn More
