/ 13 August 2013

Yengeni was not targeted, say Cape Town police

We chat to ANC NEC member Tony Yengeni about some of the rumours flying around the ANC policy conference regarding the 'second transition' document.
We chat to ANC NEC member Tony Yengeni about some of the rumours flying around the ANC policy conference regarding the 'second transition' document.

City of Cape Town authorities denied "targeting" ANC national executive committee member Tony Yengeni after his arrest for alleged drunk driving, the Cape Argus reported on Tuesday.

The City's safety and security mayoral committee member JP Smith said Yengeni was one of 52 people arrested by his officers at the weekend.

"Officers had spotted the Maserati driving erratically," he told the newspaper, adding that the car had been short of one number plate.

"Officers used a screening device, which showed he was substantially over the limit, which was sufficient basis on which to take him to the shadow centre in Athlone," Smith was quoted as saying.

Smith said video footage of Yengeni before and after his arrest would be made available to prove officers had a probable cause for pulling him over.

He said the matter was in the hands of police but that he was confident the metro police could obtain a copy of the blood test "as a backup".

Three times over the limit
Meanwhile, it emerged on Tuesday that Yengeni was nearly three times over the legal blood alcohol limit when he was arrested.

Die Burger reported on Tuesday that Yengeni was pulled over by metro police officials in Green Point when they noticed he did not appear to have proper control of his car.

He was accompanied by two women at the time, according to the report.

Yengeni's wife, Lumka, told Die Burger she knew who the two women are, but would not give their names.

A breathalyser test found Yengeni had 0.69mg of alcohol per 1 000ml of air. The legal limit is 0.24mg per 1 000ml. He was arrested on a charge of drunken driving and spent the night in the holding cells at Cape Town central police station.

Yengeni was released on bail of R500 on Monday morning. He will reappear in court on March 4 2014.

According to the Cape Times, the delay is due to a backlog of cases which depend on the results of blood tests. 

The Cape Argus reported that Yengeni's car was missing a number plate, and that metro police took at least two sets of film footage of his car driving erratically before he was stopped.

Detained
According to the Cape Argus, Yengeni was arrested near the corner of Somerset and Dixon Roads in Cape Town around 11pm on Sunday.

He was detained at Cape Town central police station and released on R500 bail on Monday morning.

He is due to appear in court on March 4 next year.

In 2007, Yengeni was arrested in Goodwood, Cape Town, on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol. He was also granted R500 bail at the time. He was eventually found not guilty.

At the time, Yengeni was out on parole after his 2003 conviction for defrauding Parliament by failing to disclose a 47% discount on a 4×4 Mercedes-Benz. – Sapa