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Tony Yengeni. Picture: Lulama Zenzile
ANC national executive committee member Tony Yengeni said just
three sips of traditional African beer passed his lips the day he was arrested
on a charge of drink-driving in 2013.
He had been at a family gathering with a traditional ceremony in
Gugulethu early in the afternoon and had nothing else to drink, he testified
during his trial in the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court today.
He said he had drunk umqombothi (home-brewed beer) many times
before without incident, and it had a low alcohol content compared with spirits.
Yengeni (61) was arrested in Green Point, Cape Town, after being
pulled over while apparently driving his white Maserati erratically.
Prosecutor Leon Snyman probed him on how he drove that night,
comparing his answers with what was seen in video footage.
At times, Yengeni, who described himself as a business consultant
and not a government official, said he could not recall something or did not
answer the question.
He said he had told his lawyers he felt the video had no relevance
to his case.
Snyman said the video was an integral part of the case because it
showed him almost hitting a curb and changing lanes in an intersection.
“A video doesn’t lie. It can’t be manipulated it is there. You said
the video is wrong,” he said.
Yengeni replied, “I was driving normally as far as I am concerned …
I watched the video and I can’t say I did anything wrong.”
Snyman said Yengeni’s car was out of the video screen “at a rate of
knots” and made other cars look slow.
“A Maserati is a fast car,” Yengeni replied to chuckles in the
court room.
The politician shared suspicions about his prosecution and the
possibility of a conspiracy against him.
He said a politician released a statement after his arrest, saying
he should be prosecuted.
“To me that indicated there is a political element to the case,” he
said.
“This politician made a comment about the case that is why I
thought there was a conspiracy.”
The matter was postponed to June 7.
In a separate matter in 2007, Yengeni was found not guilty of drunk
driving after he was arrested in Goodwood, Cape Town. – News24
