No bail for 'drunk' director
2003-04-28 11:20
Johannesburg - The fame of an allegedly drunk TV director of the South African Broadcasting Corporation apparently saved him from paying bail on Saturday, after he was arrested for speeding at 193 km/h on the N3 near Bergville.
The hasty Gauteng director who pushed the needle of his Opel Kadett 200 IS into the red spent four hours in Ladysmith Police Station in order to sober up. He was then given a warrant to appear in court on Tuesday.
The decision to let him walk free irked several experienced traffic officers. "It is most unusual to let somebody off without bail when he has been charged for speeding close to 80km over the limit and for drinking and driving," a traffic officer said.
South African Police Services spokesperson Director Bala Naidoo said: "The purpose of granting bail is to secure the person's attendance in court. The police could verify the director's address, which is sufficient security."
He said police officers use their own discretion with bail issues.
Eleven other people have been arrested for drinking and driving since Friday. Of the 1 481 fines issued, 1 157 were for speeding. Eighty-seven people could not show driver's licences and 61 were not wearing seat belts.
In an accident on the N2 near Ifafa, a head-on collision between a stranded scaffolding truck and a diesel and petrol tanker closed the road for 14 hours. The fire brigade had to deal with several explosions after the collision. The driver of the scaffolding truck is fighting for his life in hospital.