Sunday Tribune - Corrupt traffic officers pick on the wrong targets Page 1 of 1

Corrupt traffic officers pick on the wrong targets

By MASOOD BOOMGAARD

Three traffic officers who tried to solicit a bribe on Friday afternoon picked the worst possible
targets - three high-ranking civic organisation officials who were on their way to a meeting in
northern KwaZulu-Natal.

The meeting, as it turned out, was to deal with, you guessed it, corruption in South Africa.

Police spokeswoman Brigadier Phindile Radebe confirmed that the three Road Traffic
Inspectorate (RTI) officers were arrested after being found in possession of bank notes that they
had been given by the driver of a minibus transporting the members of the National Governing
Council, an organisation that oversees democratic practice and governance in the country.

The vehicle was on its way to an African Peer Review Mechanism function when the driver was
pulled over at a roadblock near Vryheid.

"The officers stopped us and started looking at the vehicle. There was nothing wrong with it but
they found something minor. I think it was something to do with the yellow reflector tape,"
recalled South African National Civic Organisation (Sanco) president Dumisani Mthalane, who
was a passenger in the vehicle.

Mthalane said that the officers told the driver they would impound the vehicle unless an
"arrangement" could be made between the parties.

"The officer held on to the driver's licence and said they were going to impound the minibus and
that the driver 'must try something else'."

The driver then offered the officer R100, which was turned down.

"They told him to go get more money while they held his licence," Mthalane said, and the driver
proceeded to a nearby ATM with his passengers where he withdrew R500.

According to Mthalane, the driver took down the serial numbers of the bank notes in his log
book and went back to the roadblock.

"The officers demanded R300 and then gave the driver his licence back," Mthalane said. "We
then went to the police station and reported the incident. We also contacted the RTI," he added.

The traffic officers are believed to have dispersed after taking the bribe, with one booking off
sick. However, they were later ordered by their superiors to return to the roadblock, where they
were arrested by Vryheid police, according to Radebe.

One of the officers was found in possession a R100 note with a number matching one of those
recorded by the minibus driver.

Department of Transport spokeswoman Lungi Ndlovu confirmed that the officers had been
charged with corruption and bribery and would appear in the Vryheid Magistrate's Court
tomorrow.

"A case has been opened. An attempt was made to get bail, but this was denied," Ndlovu said.

"The MEC (Willies Mchunu) will be releasing a statement soon regarding the matter."

Mthalane said he was pleased that action had been taken against the officers.

"I am glad that we were somehow able to help reduce corruption, to make a direct contribution
to this battle," he said.

Published on the web by Sunday Tribune on May 1, 2010.

© Sunday Tribune 2010. All rights reserved.

http://www.sundaytribune.co.za/general/print_article.php?fArticleId=5452660 02/05/2010