Over the weekend reports surfaced of an arrest for a drunk driver in Cape Town. Die Burger reported that person was ANC national executive committee member Tony Yengeni, but these claims were not confirmed by the police until today.

Digital footage was captured of the committee member “driving erratically” in his white Maserati. According to City of Cape Town mayoral committee member JP Smith, Yengeni was “substantially over the limit” after police had tested him.

The hand-held screening device indicated that Yengeni’s breath alcohol content was 0.69mg of alcohol per 1,000ml of breath. The legal limit is 0.24mg per 1,000ml of breath.

Smith said:

Officers had spotted the Maserati driving erratically. Also, we take the absence of number plates extremely seriously, (because) if a vehicle doesn’t have a number plate then no other enforcement is possible.

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.

The Shadow centre referred to by Smith was the Safely Home Anti Drunk-driving Operations War Room. The centre alleviates the pressure on hospitals to process alleged drunk drivers. Smith said:

The centre has the added benefit that the entire encounter with the alleged drunk driver is recorded. The entire process is filmed to ensure that no one can make any false claims later.

After the Shadow centre, Yengeni was taken to the Cape Town Central police station where he spent the night until he posted bail of R500 on Monday morning.

Smith responded to comments that Yengeni had been targeted by the police. Smith said:

Fifty-two people were nabbed across the province this weekend. Mr Yengeni is one of 52 – so he certainly wasn’t targeted.

Anyway, without a number plate it was improbable that officials would have known who he was anyway.

Video footage will be made available to prove that officers had a probable cause for pulling him over.

Yengeni is due to apear in court on 4 March 2014.

[Sources: YouTube, iOL]