'I was going a bit fast'

2005-03-24 08:33

Nivashni Nair

Pietermaritzburg - A Pretoria biker, who waved at traffic officers as he sped by at 275 km an hour on the N2 near Sezela on Tuesday afternoon, was finally caught and slapped with a R31 000 fine.

Holidaymaker Johan Bark-huizen, 38, was unrepentant on Wednesday, claiming he was going "too fast to stop" his 1 200 cc Kawasaki and that he didn't try to escape, but left the freeway by the nearest offramp to turn round and go back to the traffic officers.

An amazed traffic officer described the scene. "We received a call from one of the officers at RTI Park Rynie who told us to look out for a motorbike travelling at high speed on the freeway.

"The bike passed us and we clocked him at 275 km an hour. Officer BK Govender tried to stop him but he just lifted his right arm and waved to us and sped off," said provincial Inspector Tim Simpson.

Simpson chased the motorbike as far as the Ifafa offramp where Barkhuizen exited from the freeway.

"I alerted other RTI members and told them to watch out as the motorbiker had no intention of stopping. He just changed direction and got back onto the N2 racing along in a northern direction," Simpson said.

Barkhuizen claimed he didn't even hear the sirens as traffic officers chased him.

Traffic officers eventually closed both carriageways of the N2, parking vehicles across the road.

"Eventually, he knew he could not escape so he gave up and was arrested. He thought he would not get caught because he did not have number plates on the bike. Well, he was wrong," Simpson said.

Paid R1 000 immediately

Barkhuizen was taken to the Park Rynie roadside court where he was fined R30 000 for speeding and R1 000 for not stopping. He paid R1 000 immediately and R6 000 on Wednesday.

RTI spokesperson Colin Govender said Barkhuizen will pay the remainder in instalments of R1 000 a month.

Barkhuizen, a Pretoria North businessman on holiday in Scottburgh, told The Witness he does not usually ride his six-month-old bike at 275 km an hour, but claimed he was actually going even faster before he was clocked.

"I guess I was going a bit fast but I didn't try to escape. I couldn't stop because of the speed so took the off-ramp and then turned back to go to the cops," he said.

The R31 000 fine is "not fun at all", he admitted.

"Well, I learnt a lesson. I don't usually go that fast. Maybe I was a bit daring. I have been riding motorbikes since I was 18. I really don't go that fast," Barkhuizen said.

Govender said 275 km an hour is the highest speed recorded in KwaZulu-Natal in 10 years.

Suzuki and Kawasaki Centre salesperson Eben Louw told The Witness that a standard Kawasaki 1 200 cc can clock about 280 km an hour, however, the speedometer is often "optimistic" and displays a higher speed.

Louw said more than 10 years ago a motorbiker was caught speeding at 303 km an hour on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast.

- The Witness