Transport minister Dipuo Peters has blamed the Premier Soccer League (PSL) leadership for failing to teach soccer stars about road safety.

This followed the arrest of an Orlando Pirates player who was allegedly caught driving at 173km/h in Johannesburg this weekend.

Peters spoke to a News24 Correspondent on Saturday evening during an Easter weekend operation on the R71 in Tzaneen, Limpopo.

"I believe that people who are celebrities, people who are stars in areas of sports, must be also be stars in terms of road safety," she said.

"I  want to put the blame squarely on the PSL leadership because we believe they have the responsibility to educate the players, to educate soccer stars about road safety."

The minister said she was happy that the soccer star, whom she did not want to name until he has appeared in court, was still behind bars.

"They should not speak about safety on the field because the safety of their resource, which is soccer players, is also in the road.

"They have to understand that we are saying there is no goal scored on the road. They need to obey the rules of the road... We are not going to play around with them. That is why am happy that soccer star is still behind bars."

Peters warned that speedsters might soon not even get bail because of the carnage that speeding leaves behind.

"We need to continue the public education, but we cannot educate forever. We must beat and hit them where it hurts most and it is in the pocket of getting people who get arrested.

"Those arrested for drunken driving and those who are driving speeding... should not get bail. They must stay in the cells and feel how it feels to be in cell because the more we speak, people do not listen," she said.

News24