Carnage on the roads is caused mainly by speeding, Johannesburg magistrate Mohamed Khan told Defence Minister Mosiuoa Lekota on Friday.
Lekota was sentenced to a R5000 fine or 12 months imprisonment for reckless and negligent driving.
Lekota pleaded guilty to exceeding the speed limit.
He was caught driving his Mercedes-Benz at 189kmh in a 120kmh zone near the Grasmere toll plaza last week on Sunday.
He was released on R1000 bail.
In a statement read by the defence, Lekota admitted that he broke the law and that he had set a bad example.
"I have learnt a hard lesson from this experience," he said in the statement.
Handing down sentence Khan said Lekota had shown remorse and had not wasted the court's time. - Mfundekelwa Mkhulisi