The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport (KZNDoT ) has dismissed two traffic police officers for allegedly soliciting bribes from truck drivers.
The KZNDoT announced on Thursday that the two traffic police officers, who worked for the Road Traffic Inspectorate (RTI) based in Newcastle, had been dismissed after a long investigation that had started in 2018/19.
According to a statement issued by the department, the officers were caught in possession of money believed to have been obtained through the proceeds of crime, after allegedly taking money from truck drivers and allowing them to continue driving after they had committed road traffic rule violations. The department said it had finalised the investigation and issued them with a dismissal notice in October.
“Their case is going to be rolled in court after it was temporarily struck off the roll pending more investigation and evidence. The dismissed traffic officers were arrested after the work of a task team, including the Public Transport Enforcement Services, SAPS Crime Intelligence, and Newcastle SAPS,” the department said.
Meanwhile, an ongoing investigation into allegations of irregularities at the local Driver Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) in Newcastle has so far led to six examiners being charged with crimes.
“Some of them are charged for issuing learners’ licences to foreign nationals, which the department has since cancelled. Their arrest follows the arrest of three suspects in Hammarsdale a week ago, who are believed to be acting as ‘jockeys’, who are writing on behalf of the applicants in exchange for money,” the department said.
MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison, Sipho Hlomuka, said his department was taking a tough stance against traffic officials and truck drivers who were involved in bribery.
“Those traffic officers who are accepting bribes are undermining provincial efforts of fighting the scourge of fatalities on the road and have no space in our department. The fact that two of them are now dismissed is an indication that we are very serious about rooting out rotten apples within our ranks,” he said.
“Worse, we have taken a position against truck drivers considering the alarming levels of accidents. As we are approaching the festive season, we are firmly focused on dealing with drivers who are violating the law. Our plan is to reduce the levels of crashes and fatalities. To achieve this, we need ethical, dedicated traffic officials with high moral values,” Hlomuka said.
The KZNDoT has appealed to the public to report all police officers who ask for bribes.
