Drunken-driving allegations against former African National Congress chief whip and fraud convict Tony Yengeni still needed to be tested in court, the Western Cape correctional services department said on Saturday.
”The department respects the criminal procedures and would review the case when the blood test is released by the district surgeon. It is important to note that these are mere allegations against Mr Yengeni and still need to be tested in court,” spokesperson Mark Solomons said in a statement.
This was after the department launched an investigation into whether Yengeni breached his parole conditions after he was arrested in Cape Town for drunken driving.
Solomons said the department regarded ”alleged violations in a serious light” and measured them against the threat it posed to society.
The department appreciated ”the interest shown by communities and stakeholders in the rehabilitation and reintegration of our offenders into communities”, but called on ”communities and stakeholders to observe the policies and procedures of the department and allow the functionaries to act against those offenders who transgress and violate conditions”.
Yengeni was arrested in Goodwood, Cape Town, on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol.
”The allegations against Mr Yengeni were immediately investigated by the department based on the available information; he was within the managerial district of Cape Town and within ‘free time’,” said Solomons.
He was arrested on Sunday evening along Giel Basson Drive after his black BMW swerved and landed on an island.
Patrolling police noticed the incident and smelled alcohol on his breath when they stopped to investigate. When asked whether he had been drinking, Yengeni said he had not and that he had taken flu medication.
Police were not convinced.
Yengeni was then arrested and taken for blood tests. He was detained at the Goodwood police station for about four hours and released after being granted R500 bail.
Yengeni is still out on parole after his 2003 conviction for defrauding Parliament by failing to disclose a 47% discount on a luxurious 4X4 Mercedes-Benz.
He lost an appeal against his four-year sentence, but spent only a few months in Malmesbury Prison from August last year to early January this year.
Conditions include a stipulation that Yengeni may not use liquor or drugs — other than those prescribed by a doctor — until September 23 next year, nor may he visit any place where liquor is consumed.
Yengeni was due to appear in court for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2008. — Sapa