Five speedsters including a groom were nabbed by Ekurhuleni metro officers on the N17 freeway on Sunday morning.

Ekurhuleni metro police spokesperson Wilfred Kgasago said the groom claimed he was late for his weeding. 

He added that among the five speedsters, one was arrested for drunk driving.

"An operation targeting speedsters on the N17 freeway between the Guthrie bridge and Heidelburg Road bridge in the Germiston was conducted by the EMPD High Speed Unit on Sunday, yielded five arrests between 05h45 and 09h34. The arrested five included a driver found drunk behind the wheel and a groom who claimed he was late for his wedding.

"On this 120km/h zone stretch of the N17 freeway, the arrestees were all males with aged between 24 and 38. They clocked excessive speeds of between 173 and 165 km/h and were all in sedans except for one who was driving an SUV. One 34-year-old driver in a VW sedan who registered a speed of 173 km/h was also charged with drinking and driving, while a 24-year-old groom in a Ford SUV, who claimed to be late for his wedding, was arrested at 09:34.

Kgasago said all the arrested speedsters were charged at Elsburg police station for reckless and negligent driving and later released after each paying R1 000 bail.

They are expected to appear in the Germiston Magistrate’s Court soon.