The man who sent social media into a raucous for nearly sinking his Range Rover at Pelican Island was tracked down and arrested last week, police confirmed.
Who is the Pelican Island reckless driver?
As reported by The Witness, 31-year-old Thulani Cele was arrested on Tuesday 4 January 2022 and charged with contravening the Environmental Management Act for his reckless driving at Pelican Island, a stunt that was caught on camera and subsequently went viral on social media.
Video 1 https://t.co/xBUgjWuhMT pic.twitter.com/Mn6gixhCun
— Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) January 3, 2022
In fact, according to police spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nqobile Gwala, it was the viral clip that caught the attention of KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) authorities.
A complaint came from a concerned citizen who’d come across Cele’s brazen stunt and immediately, police launched a search for the reckless driver.
Tracking down the suspect was no tall order. After all, his registration plate was captured in the viral video. Police only had to run a search through the Department of Transport’s database to determine that it was Cele who pulled off the mindless stunt at Pelican Island.
“An investigation to locate the suspect led police to acquiring information of the owner of the vehicle. On January 4, he was brought to Richards Bay SAPS where he was arrested and charged,” Gwala noted.
Not only is Cele facing the prospect of a huge repair bill since his Range Rover sank that day, but he could also be slammed with a hefty fine or, even worse, prison time.
Following a postponed in his case, the 31-year-old will be remanded in police custody until his next court appearance on 10 February 2022.