Both counts were taken as one for the purpose of sentence.
He was sentenced in the Uniondale Magistrate’s Court last Wednesday in a case that arose from an accident on 23 October last year in which his Nissan X-Trail crashed into a parked bakkie from behind.
It happened in front of the Uniondale police office in the town’s main street just after 16:00 in the afternoon. The bakkie belongs to a policeman, AO Nico Basson.
Ewerts had four passengers, all of Uniondale, in his X-Trail. A woman in the front passenger seat, Anthea Human, had to be freed with the jaws of life and was admitted to hospital with serious injuries. The other passengers were Natasha Klaasen, Bonita Kleinbooi and Steve Esau, all of Uniondale.
According to court documents, the state and defence reached a plea and sentence agreement according to which Ewerts (42) admitted guilt to both counts. The court ordered that his current dri-ver’s licence remain valid, because he is unemployed and without his licence it would be difficult for him to find work.
According to the documents, Ewerts’s legal representative, Mr B Beddy, said that his client was remorseful about the incident and pleaded for clemency. He still had to pay for repairs to his Nissan X-Trail.
In passing sentence, Magistrate L Strydom is quoted as saying that both offences were of a serious nature, and more so the matter of driving under the influence was an offence that was in general on the increase in the magisterial district. The court also took into consideration that he was a first offender. The police officer (the owner of the bakkie) has instigated civil action for the damage done to his vehicle and was "satisfied" with the procedure. On the day of the accident, Ewerts was in Uniondale for the Eden Municipality’s War against Poverty campaign.
Officials and councillors had visited houses in poor areas to hand out food parcels earlier in the day.
A cell number we have for Ewerts was answered by a municipal official who said the phone is council property and not in Ewerts’s possession any longer.
We also tried a number listed in Calitzdorp for him, but it was a line that no longer existed.
The Nissan X-Trail after the accident. Insert: Anthony Ewerts.
ARTICLE: ALIDA DE BEER, GEORGE HERALD REPORTER
