Cape Town - Cape Town mayor Patricia de Lille’s husband drove on the N1 in the direction of Cape Town, the M5 and Forest Drive to Pinelands before his arrest for allegedly driving recklessly and negligently, court papers show.
No other details about Edwin de Lille, 64, who suffered a stroke on October 11, passengers, the vehicle or the time of the incident were specified. The State has formally charged him with reckless and negligent driving.
At the weekend, Patricia de Lille said her husband had suffered a stroke behind the wheel. City officials were also silent on the incident.
Edwin de Lille was expected to make his first appearance in the Goodwood Magistrate’s Court on Wednesday after his arrest in Pinelands on Friday.
But when prosecutor Neliswa Joni called the case against him, no one responded. Joni then asked that the case be postponed in his absence. Joni added that a sick note had been supplied to the State and handed it to magistrate Sean Lea.
After a short while, the magistrate called the prosecutor to the bench and later struck the case from the court roll.
The State would have to re-summons Edwin de Lille, Lea said.
According to the doctor’s note, Edwin de Lille suffered a stroke on October 11 this year and suffers from hypertension and diabetes.
“On Friday, he was found to be hypoglyceamic and hypertensive and this could precipitate another stroke,” doctor Rafiq Abbas from Grassy Park Medi-Centre said in the note.
Abbas added that Edwin de Lille was not fit to attend court between November 2 and November 30.
Provincial director of public prosecutions spokesman Eric Ntabazalila said the Directorate of Public Prosecutions had requested that a formal report on exactly why the case was struck from the court roll, be supplied.
He said the matter was removed from the court roll because the magistrate presiding over the case was not satisfied that he had been properly subpoenaed to appear in court.
Ntabazalila said the directorate of public prosecutions had asked that the docket be sent to its offices so that a decision on whether to reinstitute the prosecution could be made.
Cape Argus