ANC national executive committee member Tony Yengeni has submitted representations on why his drink-driving charges should be withdrawn, the Cape Town Magistrates’ Court has heard.

The African National Congress member was not present today but his attorney, Sylvester Vogel, confirmed that written representations had been handed to the state.

Prosecutor Adiel Jansen said he received a “voluminous” bundle yesterday and that the director of public prosecutions needed six weeks to study it.

“The director of public prosecutions needs the opportunity to go through everything and come to a decision,” he told Magistrate Nasha Banwari.

Banwari postponed the matter until October 22.

Yengeni was not in court because he had been excused from flying from Johannesburg for the provisional postponement.

Banwari held over a warrant of arrest until his next appearance.

Yengeni has not yet pleaded to charges of drink-driving and reckless and negligent driving.

As an alternative to the drink-driving charge, Yengeni is alleged to have driven with a blood-alcohol level of 0.25%, five times the legal limit of 0.05.

Yengeni was arrested in August last year after City of Cape Town law enforcement officials saw him allegedly driving his Maserati erratically in the Cape Town CBD.

Police later released him on bail and warned him to make his first court appearance on March 4.

In a statement issued after his arrest, the city’s safety and security mayoral committee member JP Smith said Yengeni had been one of 52 people arrested during a weekend operation.

Smith alleged that at least one of Yengeni’s car number plates was missing at the time.

He said a screening device indicated that Yengeni was substantially over the blood alcohol level.

For this reason, Yengeni was taken to the “shadow centre” for a blood sample to be taken and sent to a lab for analysis.

In 2007 Yengeni was arrested in Goodwood Cape Town on a charge of drink-driving but was found not guilty.

– Sapa