Driver sent to the can over R70 'cold drink' bribe

The Pretoria regional court sentenced a driver to five years' imprisonment for bribing a traffic cop with R70 for a "cold drink".

Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesperson Simon Zwane said in a statement on Thursday that traffic police arrested John Mthembu, 41, in March this year on Botha Avenue in Lyttelton, Centurion, for allegedly driving an unroadworthy car.

"It was discovered that the licence disk of the vehicle had expired and there were other defects that warranted the vehicle to be discontinued from operating on a public road network," Zwane said.

"Mthembu allegedly offered the officers R70 as a bribe to avoid the discontinuation of the vehicle and a traffic infringement fine. The officers immediately arrested him and he was charged for bribery."

The Pretoria regional court sentenced him this week. The sentence was suspended on the condition that Mthembu not be found guilty of any other offence during this period.

RTMC CEO Makhosini Msibi said: "This is a demonstration that some of our traffic officers are no longer interested in having their good name tarnished by motorists who are not prepared to obey the rules of the road."