Traffic fines are a constant in the life of any South African motorist, with most having received at least one in their time navigating the country’s roads.
While irritating, the vast majority of these fines are usually only a few hundred Rand and can be paid off without much fuss.
However, several fines in South Africa’s history buck this reasonable trend, revealing just how far some drivers are willing to go when ignoring the law.
These include individuals far exceeding the speed limit and being saddled with a single, massive fine, as well as those choosing to ignore a mounting collection of tickets.
We have outlined five of the highest such fines below.
R18,000
A motorist named Ivan Botha received an R18,000 fine in 2016 after doing 220km/h along the South Coast on the N2 in their Golf 6 GTI.
According to the Department of Transport, Botha was held in custody at the Scottburgh police station.
Following this arrest, the Scottburgh magistrate handed down the R18,000 fine to Botha.
R20,000
In 2011, Dan Andrew Mokhuwe Kgothule was arrested for speeding in his BMW 745i on the N1, with a recorded speed of 235km/h.
This led to him being tried in the Bloemfontein Magistrate’s Court.
The court, unsurprisingly, found him guilty, and he was sentenced to either a year in prison or a fine of R20,000.
While this is a substantial fine, the strangest thing was that at the time, Kgothule was serving as the Free State’s Member of the Executive Council for Sports, Arts, Culture and Recreation under Premier Ace Magashule.
Kgothule did not stand for re-election after his term ended in 2014.
R40,000
Also in 2010, Kavilyn Govender was arrested and charged with a R40,000 speeding fine for travelling at 216km/h on the N2 in KwaZulu-Natal.
He was driving a Mazda RX8 at the time, and following the fine, his license was suspended for six months.
Govender wasn’t the only one speeding in that area either, as that year over 220 other motorists were charged with speeding fines while travelling along the South Coast.
R110,700
The second highest on this list isn’t one fine but rather a cumulative total accrued by a taxi owner known only as MF Adonis in Cape Town.
Adonis had R110,700 worth of outstanding fines when he was arrested while, ironically, at the Greenpoint traffic department renewing his license.
According to the city, this consisted of 69 outstanding warrants that had become “double warrants” when he had consistently failed to appear at court.
R100,000
The single highest traffic fine recorded for South Africa was achieved by motorcyclist Jan Hendrik de Vos, who was caught doing 295km/h along the N2 near Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal.
He was charged and found guilty by the Scottburgh District Court, with the magistrate handing down a R100,000 fine or three years’ jail time.
De Vos also had to pay an extra R2,000 because his Suzuki GSX-R 1100 motorcycle was unlicensed and did not display a number plate.
While the officers who made the arrest were adamant about the speed, de Vos maintained that it was a case of mistaken identity.
There is evidence to support both, ranging from malfunctioning equipment to the circumstances of the arrest, but guilt or not, de Vos set the record for the highest traffic fine.
Loading ...
