/ 4 July 2011

Sober as a judge: Nkola Motata in another accident

Judge Nkola Motata — a convicted drunk driver — was involved in another accident in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, Sunday World online reported.

Johannesburg Metro Police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar said Motata had been sober at the time of the collision between his Jaguar and a minibus taxi.

“The accident occurred in Braamfontein on the corner of Jan Smuts Avenue and Bertha Street during the early hours of yesterday [Saturday] morning,” Minnaar said.

“Procedurally, when no one is injured or has died, it becomes the responsibility of the drivers to report the accident within 24 hours,” Minnaar said.

When asked if a breathalyser test had been carried out, Minnaar said: “The judge was not drunk. This was confirmed by the officers on the scene.”

In November last year, Motata lost his appeal against a drunk-driving conviction. He crashed his car into the garden wall of a house in Hurlingham, north of Johannesburg, in 2007. The owner of the house, Richard Baird, testified against him.

Two judges dismissed the appeal against his conviction and sentence, which is either a R20 000 fine or 12 months in jail. – Sapa