A motorist was arrested for reckless and drunk driving after he had allegedly caused a collision with a motorcyclist in Ferreira Street on Sunday evening, February 11.

According to the Nelspruit SAPS’s spokesperson, Captain Zandile Nqawa, the 41-year-old driver was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol, and reckless and negligent driving. She said it was as yet unclear what exactly had caused the accident, though an investigation into this was under way.

The still conscious motorcyclist was rushed to Rob Ferreira Hospital with severe but not life-threatening injuries. Emergency personnel on the scene said he had sustained abrasions to his face, bruises on his body and a fracture to his upper right leg.

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The driver was released on a warning and will appear in court on August 6, while blood test results are awaited. The police minister, Bheki Cele, confirmed in a national statement in May that there was a huge backlog of blood results, and that cases can take months before they eventually go to court.

Meanwhile, the victim, Sibusiso Ngomane, said he was lucky to be alive, even though his leg was broken and it might take a while before things get back to normal.

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He said he was happy the person who had hit him with his car was arrested, but upset that he was released with only a warning. “I just hope that justice will prevail after what happened to me, because I could have died as it is alleged that he was drunk when the accident occurred. So he needs to pay for what he did to me for the sake of road safety. For now, I am glad that I am still alive and recovering well.”

He also said he hopes the suspect will not bribe the police to dispose of the case docket.