Cops want to grab fast wheels

2006-12-03 23:57

Schalk Mouton

Johannesburg - The owner of a Lamborghini that was trapped doing 251km/h on the N14 on Sunday could lose his glittering yellow super-luxury sports car - if the metro police get their way.

He is not the only one.

The metro police are going to ask the asset forfeiture unit to seize and sell the Lamborghini and eight other vehicles that were clocked at high speeds at the weekend.

The drivers were all out on bail and were due to appear on court on Monday.

All nine motorists were trapped doing speeds of more than 184km/h on Johannesburg highways.

High Court ruling

Inspector Edna Mamonyane of Johannesburg metro police said they would ask that the Lamborghini, a Porsche, three BMWs, a Peugeot, an Audi, a Volkswagen Jetta and a Nissan Sentra should be confiscated and sold.

The High Court in Bloemfontein recently ruled that traffic departments could seize and sell the vehicles of serious traffic offenders.

Mamonyane said: "The legal process will have to be followed before that can be done, but we are definitely going to put forward that request."

She said if the vehicles were sold any amounts owing on them would be settled, and the remainder possibly would be paid into metro police coffers.

The motorists were all charged with reckless and negligent driving and they were due to appear in Mondeor and Muldersdrift courts on Monday.

Mamonyane said the driver of the Lamborghini, a man in his late 40s, was trapped on the N14 near the Jukskei off-ramp.

"He was very calm and praised the officers for the way they treated him," she said.

All three BMWs were trapped at the Klip River off-ramp on the N14, at speeds in excess of 200km/h.

The Porsche driver was trapped at 186km/h, also at the Juksei off-ramp, while the Jetta was doing 186km/h and the Audi and Peugeot were both trapped at 184km/h, at the same spot as the BMWs.

The Nissan Sentra was clocked at 195km/h on the N1.

Want same for drunken drivers

The offenders' vehicles were returned to them after they were released, but, according to Mamonyane, the vehicles would be seized as soon as the court approved the order to seize and sell.

Mamonyane said the traffic department would not only apply for the vehicles of speedsters to be declared forfeit, but also those of drunken drivers.

- Beeld