A woman accused of reckless and negligent driving is expected to appear in the Emalahleni Magistrate’s Court today, August 3, following a dramatic late-night chase that ended in a collision with a police vehicle in Del Judor.

According to the Witbank SAPS spokesperson, Warrant Officer David Ratau, the incident unfolded along OR Tambo Street near a fuel station on July 31 at about 22:00. He said police were patrolling in the area when they noticed a Hyundai i20 being driven without headlights.

When officers approached the driver, she allegedly insulted them before speeding off. Police gave chase until the car stopped at a traffic light. As the officers attempted to interview her, the woman reportedly reversed and then drove forward, colliding with the police Toyota Hilux GD6. The state vehicle sustained damage to its left rear fender.

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Police further allege that the woman refused to undergo a blood test at the hospital, which would have determined whether she was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

Driver faces charges

“In such incidents, if a person refuses the doctor to do a blood test on them to determine if they are under the influence or not, the doctor can give a statement that they refused and that can result in additional charges,” Ratau advised, urging motorists to obey.

The driver was arrested and now faces charges of reckless and negligent driving, with her first court appearance scheduled for today. The outcome of her appearance was not yet available at the time of publication.

Passenger warned against interference

Ratau added that the passenger, who reportedly interfered with the police officer who tried to interview the driver, was also served as per Section 67 of the South African Police Service (SAPS) Act 68 of 1995.

“If a driver is stopped by the police, as a passenger, you should not interfere, as it is a criminal offence to do so. Secondly, if you doubt the people who stopped you are officers of the law, you should request them to show you their identification card; if they refuse, you also have the right to refuse,” Ratau said.

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Read more here: https://t.co/uOfUJB6DnL pic.twitter.com/k5er4Ox8Pe

— WitbankNews (@WitbankN) August 2, 2026

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