{"id":295330,"date":"2026-05-24T16:39:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-24T14:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/"},"modified":"2026-05-24T16:39:00","modified_gmt":"2026-05-24T14:39:00","slug":"pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/","title":{"rendered":"Prominent Jeffreys Bay driver critically injured after being hit by alleged drunk driver"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

JEFFREYS BAY \u2013<\/strong> Social media reports claim that well-known Jeffreys Bay businessman Pirow Viljoen is in a coma with severe brain injuries after allegedly being hit by a drunk driver while walking his dog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to posts circulating online, the incident allegedly occurred on Saturday, 23 May. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Viljoen is known in the Jeffreys Bay community as a former owner of Wimpy and Mugg & Bean franchises. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He has also been actively involved with the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the time of publication, police had not yet confirmed the incident. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Questions have been sent to police and comment is still awaited regarding the circumstances surrounding the alleged crash and whether any arrests have been made.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Police confirmation is still awaited after reports claimed Jeffreys Bay businessman Pirow Viljoen was left in a coma following an alleged drunk driving crash.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":295331,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"57","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"60","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"1","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[7911,9331,91],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-295330","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-crime","tag-jeffreys-bay-2","tag-top"],"yoast_head":"\nProminent Jeffreys Bay driver critically injured after being hit by alleged drunk driver | Komani Karoo Express<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Pirow Viljoen reportedly in coma after a drunk driving crash. Details surrounding the incident are still unfolding.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Prominent Jeffreys Bay driver critically injured after being hit by alleged drunk driver\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pirow Viljoen reportedly in coma after a drunk driving crash. Details surrounding the incident are still unfolding.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Komani Karoo Express\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KomaniKarooExpress\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-24T14:39:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/caution-5978818_1280-1-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"848\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Novus Media\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Novus Media\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Novus Media\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2e128f209b8e5c211a6a31dc7ae38d2c\"},\"headline\":\"Prominent Jeffreys Bay driver critically injured after being hit by alleged drunk driver\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-24T14:39:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":132,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/caution-5978818_1280-1-1.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Crime\",\"Jeffreys Bay\",\"Top\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2026\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/\",\"name\":\"Prominent Jeffreys Bay driver critically injured after being hit by alleged drunk driver | Komani Karoo Express\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/caution-5978818_1280-1-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-24T14:39:00+00:00\",\"description\":\"Pirow Viljoen reportedly in coma after a drunk driving crash. Details surrounding the incident are still unfolding.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/caution-5978818_1280-1-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/05\\\/caution-5978818_1280-1-1.jpg\",\"width\":1280,\"height\":848,\"caption\":\"Jeffreys Bay businessman Pirow Viljoen is reportedly in a coma after allegedly being struck by a drunk driver while walking his dog.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Prominent Jeffreys Bay driver critically injured after being hit by alleged drunk driver\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/\",\"name\":\"Komani Karoo Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Komani Karoo Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/komani-karoo-express-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/komani-karoo-express-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Komani Karoo Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/KomaniKarooExpress\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/EP_Media24\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@expressonline3000\\\/videos\"],\"description\":\"Komani-Karoo Express is an online\\\/social media news source that serves the communities of Komani (formerly Queenstown), Cradock, Middelburg, Graaff-Reinet, Fort Beaufort, Somerset East, Hofmeyr, and surrounding areas. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region.\",\"email\":\"komanikarooexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27415036111\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2e128f209b8e5c211a6a31dc7ae38d2c\",\"name\":\"Novus Media\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Novus Media\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/komani-karoo\\\/author\\\/novusmedia\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Prominent Jeffreys Bay driver critically injured after being hit by alleged drunk driver | Komani Karoo Express","description":"Pirow Viljoen reportedly in coma after a drunk driving crash. Details surrounding the incident are still unfolding.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Prominent Jeffreys Bay driver critically injured after being hit by alleged drunk driver","og_description":"Pirow Viljoen reportedly in coma after a drunk driving crash. Details surrounding the incident are still unfolding.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/","og_site_name":"Komani Karoo Express","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KomaniKarooExpress\/","article_published_time":"2026-05-24T14:39:00+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1280,"height":848,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/caution-5978818_1280-1-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Novus Media","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EP_Media24","twitter_site":"@EP_Media24","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Novus Media","Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/"},"author":{"name":"Novus Media","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/#\/schema\/person\/2e128f209b8e5c211a6a31dc7ae38d2c"},"headline":"Prominent Jeffreys Bay driver critically injured after being hit by alleged drunk driver","datePublished":"2026-05-24T14:39:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/"},"wordCount":132,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/caution-5978818_1280-1-1.jpg","keywords":["Crime","Jeffreys Bay","Top"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2026","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/","name":"Prominent Jeffreys Bay driver critically injured after being hit by alleged drunk driver | Komani Karoo Express","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/caution-5978818_1280-1-1.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-24T14:39:00+00:00","description":"Pirow Viljoen reportedly in coma after a drunk driving crash. Details surrounding the incident are still unfolding.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/caution-5978818_1280-1-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/caution-5978818_1280-1-1.jpg","width":1280,"height":848,"caption":"Jeffreys Bay businessman Pirow Viljoen is reportedly in a coma after allegedly being struck by a drunk driver while walking his dog."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/pirow-viljoen-reportedly-in-coma-after-alleged-drunk-driving-crash\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Prominent Jeffreys Bay driver critically injured after being hit by alleged drunk driver"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/","name":"Komani Karoo Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/#organization","name":"Komani Karoo Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/komani-karoo-express-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/komani-karoo-express-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Komani Karoo Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/KomaniKarooExpress\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EP_Media24","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@expressonline3000\/videos"],"description":"Komani-Karoo Express is an online\/social media news source that serves the communities of Komani (formerly Queenstown), Cradock, Middelburg, Graaff-Reinet, Fort Beaufort, Somerset East, Hofmeyr, and surrounding areas. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region.","email":"komanikarooexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27415036111","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/#\/schema\/person\/2e128f209b8e5c211a6a31dc7ae38d2c","name":"Novus Media","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Novus Media"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/author\/novusmedia\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/caution-5978818_1280-1-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":68818,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/seventeen-firearms-stolen-in-brazen-heist-at-humansdorp-traffic-department\/","url_meta":{"origin":295330,"position":0},"title":"Seventeen firearms stolen in brazen heist at Humansdorp Traffic Department","author":"Kouga Express","date":"5 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Humansdorp police have launched an investigation into a major burglary case following the theft of 17 firearms and an undisclosed sum of money from the Kouga Municipality Traffic Department offices.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Jeffreys Bay businessman Pirow Viljoen (83) has died following a motor vehicle accident on 23 May, with charges now set to be upgraded to culpable homicide.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ai-generated-9095357_1280-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ai-generated-9095357_1280-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ai-generated-9095357_1280-1.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ai-generated-9095357_1280-1.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/ai-generated-9095357_1280-1.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"NovaNews","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295330","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295330"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295330\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295331"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295330"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295330"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=295330"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/komani-karoo\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=295330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}