PRETORIA: The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) welcomes the dismissal of two traffic officers after facing internal disciplinary proceedings on charges of corruption and the arrest of three other officers on charges of extortion and corruption.
Mfanafuthi Gift Hleza stationed at Msukaligwa Local Municipality stopped an undercover officer of the RTMC National Traffic Anti Corruption Unit (NTACU) on 22 January 2020 in Ermelo for driving above the speed limit. Hleza demanded a bribe of R200 for him not to issue a traffic fine to the undercover officer.
On the same day, the undercover officer was later stopped while driving on the R17 in Carolina by Thembisile Octavia Yende, a traffic officer stationed at Ermelo Traffic Department.
Yende demanded a bribe of R50 to not issue a fine for failure to display the front registration plate of the vehicle. Both bribes were paid and the undercover officer was allowed to proceed, escaping both fines.
After lengthy internal disciplinary issues, both officers were found guilty and dismissed for corruption.
In another case, NTACU together with the Tshwane Standard and Integrity Unit arrested three Tshwane Metro Police Department officers (two males aged 39 and 40 and a female aged 30) for corruption. The arrest took place on 11 July 2022 following a complaint escalated to NTACU by the Tshwane Standard and Integrity Unit.
It is alleged that while the three officers were on patrol, they pulled off a motorist on Lois avenue in Pretoria East and all three officers went out of their patrol vehicle to inspect the vehicle. While inspecting they started intimidating the driver saying the car was not permissible to be on the road because the driver was using a permit that did not have a dealer stamp. They threatened to impound the vehicle if she does not pay a bribe of R3000 on the spot.
The driver indicated that she did not have money and that she could not afford to lose her car and was let go. While she was driving, she was stopped by a member of public who introduced himself as the MMC of Community Safety in Tshwane where she explained what had just occurred. The MMC and the complainant exchanged contact details in order to follow up on the matter.
The vehicle driver later noticed that a metro police vehicle was following her when she stopped at the entrance of her house, the two male officers who had previously stopped her came out of the patrol vehicle and they gave her a cellphone number where she was again asked to deposit via e-wallet, the bribe amount of R3000 they had previously asked for. The complainant deposited the money, and she informed the MMC about the transaction. The MMC reported the incident to Tshwane Standard and Integrity Unit leading to the arrest of the officers for extortion and corruption.
The RTMC reiterates its commitment in dealing with fraud and corruption and urges members of the public to report all suspicions of malfeasances, bribery, fraud and corruption by sending a WhatsApp message to 083293799 or sending an email to [email protected] – RTMC
