We will continue to arrest officials who take bribes: RTMC

The Road Traffic Management Corporation says it will not stop arresting officers on the road and officials in testing and licensing station who are taking bribes from the general public.

“We are still on. So long as we get complaints about officials taking bribes we can’t stop arresting people. The public is providing evidence and people are willing to testify‚” said RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane.

Zwane said since October 2017‚ a total of 72 officials have been arrested at vehicle testing centres‚ licensing stations and on the road for taking bribes from the public.

“Among the 72 arrested are alleged bogus doctors who were giving medical certificates to people without examining them.

"We are doing this to improve safety on the roads‚ restore the integrity of traffic law enforcement and protect the public from unscrupulous individuals who seem to think that traffic is a get-rich-quick scheme‚” said Zwane.

The highest amount involved in these bribes was R4‚000 which took place in Tshwane and the lowest is R50.

In the Tshwane incident‚ two officers of the city’s Metro Police Department were arrested after allegedly taking a motorist to withdraw money from an ATM for a bribe.

The male and female officers were charged with kidnapping‚ robbery‚ extortion‚ corruption and defeating the ends of justice. They were arrested at the TMPD offices in Lyttelton on Monday. One of the officers is believed to be a new recruit who completed their training last year.

Zwane said the impact of the arrests would be felt in the area of vehicle testing due to the number of people servicing the public. However‚ the public would be diverted to neighbouring testing stations.

“In Mamelodi there was no testing being done at all‚” he said‚ adding that this particular testing station did not examine the vehicles before issuing the relevant documentation.