Johannesburg - Afrikaans musician, actor and TV host Steve Hofmeyr has admitted that he is guilty of speeding and had no reason for doing so, although “the speed of the car does often creep up” on him.
“I wasn’t late, I wasn’t not in a hurry to get anywhere, I am guilty.”
Hofmeyr was arrested along the N4 highway on December 19 for allegedly driving 169km in a 120km/h zone near Bronkhorstspruit.
He was granted bail of R500 by police hours after his arrest.
Speaking outside the Bronkhorstspruit Magistrate’s Court where he made a brief appearance on Monday, Hofmeyr openly admitted that he was wrong.
“I do not have an excuse, not that any would be justifiable. It’s a new car and sometimes I find the limit creeping up on me.
“I’m guilty and want to sort this out as soon as possible.”
He further commended metro police and police for the “excellent job” they had done.
“I would not expect anything different from them.
“I’ve been living on the road for 30 years hence I do take care to be careful not to exceed the limit and to drive responsibly,” he said.
Hofmeyr was given a 20-day postponement to reach a solution with his attorneys.
“There are a few options we are looking into,” he said.
“I don’t want to be part of the problem but rather the solution, that’s why I co-operated with police from the beginning and still am.
“We couldn’t reach an out-of-court settlement today that’s why we will return on January 23 and take it from there,” he said.
According to the musician, “a Godly sense of humour” can be blamed for the fact that he and Economic Freedom Fighters leader Julius Malema were arrested on the same evening for speeding. Malema was arrested in the Vaal.
“Good for the SAPS and metro police who executed both arrests. It proves they are doing their job. I only heard about Malema’s arrest after my show that evening and found it hilarious that people on social media sites assumed we were sharing a cell,” he laughed.
A handful of supporters attended court proceedings on Monday including Hofmeyr’s long-time friend and nudist Beau Brummell, who made headlines after opening the first nudist resort in the Bela Bela vicinity in the 1980s.
Two other women also sat in the public gallery and excitedly waved and smiled at Hofmeyr as he entered the courtroom.
His black Chrysler, the one he was caught speeding in, was parked oputside court.
Asked about his New Year’s resolutions, Hofmeyr laughed.
“One of them is definitely not to speed,” he said.
Pretoria News