Cape Town - The ANC’s deputy chief whip in the Western Cape legislature has been caught allegedly driving under the influence of alcohol and was kept in police cells for hours until he sobered up.
The ANC MPL, Siyazi Tyamtyam, was arrested after being stopped during a pre-dawn roadblock held by the Metro Police along Klipfontein Road just over a week ago.
Police confirmed that a 41-year-old man was arrested at 4am on June 21, for drunken driving.
“He was held at Manenberg (police station) and released on bail,” police spokesman Lieutenant-Colonel Andrè Traut confirmed on Tuesday.
A city law enforcement official said the driver was screened at the roadblock before being taken to the shadow centre for blood samples when the breathalyser came back positive.
Well-informed sources said Tyamtyam was held until late afternoon, even longer than the normal four hours – due to a problem with the detectives.
Police said the man was released on R500 bail and ordered to appear in court.
ANC insiders claimed Tyamtyam was on his way to his Gugulethu home after attending the ANC’s Dullah Omar regional conference which was held at the Ritz Hotel in Sea Point the Saturday before his arrest. The conference ended in the early hours of Sunday morning.
Tyamtyam had also missed the ANC’s Boland conference that day because he was locked up for several hours. The ANC said it was not aware of the incident.
Cape Argus