By Anna Louw and Lee Rondganger
The department of social development's director-general, Vusimuzi Madonsela, may be Johannesburg's fastest driver, after being caught doing 228km/h. He's not the fastest in Gauteng - but he may lose his car.
On Sunday, less than 24 hours after Madonsela was captured on camera, a 32-year-old Ekurhuleni man was caught doing 259km/h on the N3 South near the Linksfield off-ramp. The speed limit on this stretch of highway is 120km/h.
Ekurhuleni metro police were able to flag the man down, but as they approached his vehicle, he sped off. The police gave chase but the man's BMW M3 was too fast for them.
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| 'We stood no chance against that car' |
"We stood no chance against that car," said Ekurhuleni metro police spokesperson Jimmy Maboko. "He just disappeared. Unfortunately for him, the officers had already captured his licence plate details, and with the help of the SAPS we were able to contact him and tell him that there was a warrant out for his arrest."
The man eventually turned himself over to the Edenvale police on Monday. He told them the alarm at his business at the Eastgate shopping centre had gone off and he was rushing to see what was happening.
He was expected to appear in court on Monday.
The fastest vehicle ever trapped in Ekurhuleni was a motorbike caught doing 284km/h last year. The rider was fined R100 000 by the Germiston magistrate's court. He paid R40 000 and the remaining R60 000 was conditionally suspended for five years.
Another speedster caught on the same stretch was a 22-year-old man who was doing 193km/h.
| 'If it was not for the toll plaza, we would not have not caught him' |
When metro police stopped him, he said he had "the runs" (diarrhoea) and that he was racing to the nearest rest stop. He was arrested and taken to the Edenvale police station. He appeared in court on Monday, along with another Ekurhuleni man who was caught doing the same speed.
Maboko said the 30-year-old was arrested after he crashed his BMW into a tree.
The incident happened after metro police had flagged him down. The man allegedly stopped, and as the officers approached his vehicle, he sped off.
"In addition to reckless and negligent driving, he was also charged with failing to observe an officer's instruction," Maboko said.
Meanwhile the Johannesburg metro police have warned motorists that they will continue to clamp down on speeding and drunken driving as the festive season approaches.
"In Johannesburg we are going to conduct 22- and 44-point roadblocks, which means that either 22 or 44 roads that are interlinked will have roadblocks. There will be no place to hide," said Johannesburg metro police spokesperson Wayne Minnaar.
He added that the police plan to confiscate Madonsela's top-of-the-range Mercedes-Benz SLK55 AMG sports car through the Asset Forfeiture Act.
He was trapped doing 228km/h in a 120km/h zone on the N1 between the Golden Highway and the Grasmere toll plaza.
After been photographed, Madonsela continued to race towards the toll plaza, but unbeknown to him, the metro police were hot on his trail. He was eventually caught as he slowed down to pay the toll fee.
"If it was not for the toll plaza, we would not have not caught him. We gave chase in one of our Jettas," Minnaar said.
Madonsela was arrested and granted R1 000 bail. He is expected to appear in court on Thursday.
Madonsela topped the previous high speed, recorded in Johannesburg last year. A driver of a BMW M3 was caught doing 212km/h.
- This article was originally published on page 2 of The Star on November 28, 2006
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