A speedster who attracted a lot of media attention after claiming he was a Western Cape MEC failed to appear in a Johannesburg court on Wednesday.

Initially, the man was expected to appear in the Randburg Magistrate’s Court on a charge of reckless or negligent driving. Court officials on Wednesday said the matter would be heard in the Midrand Magistrate’s Court instead.

The man has been identified as Mcebisi Mlondzi. A newspaper report that he was a businessman with links to ANC politician Tony Yengeni could not be confirmed.

When he was arrested on Sunday morning, for speeding on the N1 South in Midrand, he allegedly told metro police he was a Western Cape MEC, a claim the Democratic Alliance-led province dismissed.

Johannesburg metro police spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said the man did not appear in the Midrand court on Wednesday.

“It seems he applied to appear at another date. We cannot confirm the date,” said Minnaar.

He was allegedly caught driving at 207km/h in a 120km/h zone.

He failed to stop for metro police officers who chased him and cut him off in his gold Bentley on Corlett Drive, Minnaar said.

He was arrested and charged with reckless or negligent driving and released on R1500 bail.

“The fact of the matter is, the man arrested claimed to be an MEC of the Western Cape,” Minnaar said on Tuesday.

The Western Cape provincial government on Tuesday denied that one of its MECs was arrested for speeding in Gauteng.

Transport MEC Donald Grant said there was “absolutely no truth” to the reports. SAPA