African National Congress (ANC) National Executive Committee member Tony Yengeni is expected to appear in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, where he faces charges of drunk driving.
In a previous court appearance, Yengeni told the court that he was not drunk when he was arrested on August 11, 2013, in Greenpoint in Cape Town.
Yengeni told the court: “If I was five times over the legal limit, I would have caused a serious accident. I don’t agree with the state’s case that I was drunk.”
The ANC veteran believes the case against him is a political conspiracy engineered by the Democratic Alliance (DA).
During a heated cross examination on Tuesday, he was adamant that his case had been expedited because of who he was. His blood samples were analysed within two weeks of being taken, which was unusual as the forensic laboratory usually battled major backlogs.
Yengeni has insisted that he had just three sips of African beer on the day of his arrest and that he was not intoxicated. This, despite his blood alcohol showing he was five times over the legal limit.
He was shown footage of himself driving. His car approaches an intersection in Greenpoint and can be seen crossing over a barrier line.
Dirk Uijs, for Yengeni, handed documents to Magistrate Grant Engel in a bid to prove the defence’s contention that the case was a political conspiracy.
These included a statement by DA MP Diane Kohler-Barnard released the day after Yengeni’s arrest, as well as an email written by a senior prosecutor to the forensic laboratory instructing them to expedite the analysis of Yengeni’s blood sample.
The DA statement called for justice to take its course and referred to drunk driving charges levelled against Yengeni in 2007.
In that case, he was acquitted, and the Goodwood police station commander was fired and convicted of defeating the administration of justice for tampering with Yengeni’s blood sample.
South Africa Today – South Africa News
