A man caught driving at 216 km per hour on a prescribed maximum limit of 120 km per hour on the N4 freeway from Pretoria towards Mpumalanga, is among five drivers arrested for speeding.

The arrests were made on Wednesday night until the early hours of Thursday morning during Gauteng Traffic Police’s High Unit operations.

These operations were conducted on various Gauteng major routes and freeways such as the N4 freeway from Pretoria to Mpumalanga, the N14 freeway from Pretoria to Krugersdorp, the N1 Pretoria to Johannesburg and the R21 freeway from Pretoria to OR Tambo International Airport.

The 44-year-old man who was driving a BMW 318i at 216 km per hour, was detained at the Bronkhorspruit police station pending a bail hearing application.

The other suspects are expected to appear at various magistrate courts to face charges relating to reckless and negligent driving with an alternative charge of driving a vehicle exceeding the prescribed speed maximum limit of 120km per hour.

The speedsters were driving at an excess speed of over 160 km per hour on a prescribed maximum limit of 120 km per hour.

“Excessive driving is one of the common causes of road crashes resulting in fatalities. The Gauteng Traffic Police will ensure that high-speed operations are intensified in all corridors in an effort to enhance road safety.

“The Gauteng Traffic Police would like appeal to motorists at large to abide by the general speed limit of 120 km per hour on Gauteng major routes. Anyone found endangering the lives of innocent road users by excessively driving will be severely punished,” Gauteng Traffic Police Spokesperson Sello Maremane said.

Source: South African Government News Agency