National
Tony Yengeni to hear whether drunk driving charges will be withdrawn─── 10:51 Wed, 26 Nov 2014
Cape Town - ANC national executive committee member Tony Yengeni is still awaiting feedback on whether his drunk driving charges will be withdrawn, the Cape Town Magistrate's Court heard on Wednesday.
Yengeni appeared in the dock in a smart suit and folded his arms in front of him. In 2007 Yengeni was arrested in Goodwood Cape Town on a charge of drunk driving but was found not guilty.
His written representations were submitted to the director of public prosecutions (DPP) in September.
On Wednesday, the court heard that the outcome was still pending.
Yengeni's lawyer Sylvester Vogel said he received a message from the National Prosecuting Authority on Tuesday.
"They acknowledge receipt of the representations. They indicate they are awaiting communication from the Western Cape office of the DPP to consider the representations," he said.
The matter was postponed until January 28 for the outcome and Yengeni's R500 bail was extended.
Yengeni has not yet pleaded to charges of drunk driving and reckless and negligent driving.
As an alternative to the drunk driving charge, Yengeni is alleged to have driven with a blood-alcohol level of 0.25 percent, five times the legal limit of 0.05.
Yengeni was arrested in August last year after City of Cape Town law enforcement officials saw him allegedly driving his Maserati erratically in the Cape Town CBD.
Police later released him on bail and warned him to make his first court appearance on March 4 this year.
In a statement issued after his arrest, the city's safety and security mayoral committee member JP Smith said Yengeni had been one of 52 people arrested during a weekend operation.
Smith alleged that at least one of Yengeni's car number plates was missing at the time.
He said a screening device indicated that Yengeni was substantially over the blood alcohol level.
For this reason Yengeni was taken to the "shadow centre" for a blood sample to be taken and sent to a lab for analysis.
Sapa
