Two Tshwane Metro police officers are due to appear in court today after they were arrested near the Fountains Circle for allegedly extorting bribes from motorists.
The two 33-year-old officers were arrested by the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit and the Hawks on Sunday and detained at Pretoria central police station.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said this brings the number of people arrested for bribery and corruption since the start of the festive season Arrive Alive campaign on 1 December 2019 to nine.
A truck owner and his driver were arrested in Durban last week after they allegedly attempted to convince traffic officers to accept a bribe and not prosecute them for displaying a fraudulent vehicle license disc.
A driver and two illegal immigrants were arrested in the Western Cape between Touwsriver and Laingsburg for offering a R300 bribe to a traffic officer.
Another driver was detained for offering a bribe to a traffic officer to avoid prosecution for driving a public transport vehicle without a professional driver’s permit, failure to display a valid operating permit and overloading.
Also, a driver, who was driving under the influence of alcohol, was arrested after offering a R150 bribe to traffic officers.
“Bribery and corruption is a major issue on national roads and contributes to lawlessness that leads to fatal crashes. Anti- corruption agents have been deployed on the roads to deal with this scourge," said the corporation.
Members of the public are urged to report instances of bribery and corruption to the RTMC hotline on 0861 400 800 or send a WhatsApp message with all relevant details as well as pictures where possible to 083 293 7989. – SAnews.gov.za
