A Cape Town traffic officer was detained for allegedly demanding money from a motorist she apprehended last year for drunk driving.
Renay Claudine Ruiters, 47, was taken into custody by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) on Wednesday.
Lieutenant Colonel Siyabulela Vukubi, the Hawks’ Western Cape spokesperson, reported that the arrest was executed by the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team from Bellville.
Ruiters reportedly coerced the driver she detained in September 2023 into paying her R15,000.
“Ruiters, serving as a traffic official, is accused of extorting R15,000 from an individual she arrested for drunk driving in September 2023. The Hawks initiated an investigation following a report and subsequently arrested her,” Vukubi explained.
Ruiters appeared in court on the day of her arrest.
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She was arraigned at the Cape Town Magistrate’s Court on corruption charges.
Following her initial court appearance, Ruiters was released on R1,000 bail.
The case has been postponed to April 5 for additional inquiry.
Major General Mathipa Makgato, the Western Cape’s head of the Hawks, praised his team for the arrest.
Makgato remarked that law enforcement officers are tasked with maintaining and enforcing the law, expressing hope that this incident would serve as a deterrent to other offenders.
