Law enforcement agencies have arrested a further 13 traffic officers in different towns in Mpumalanga in a clean-up anti-corruption operation aimed at restoring discipline and ethical conduct in the traffic law enforcement sector.
This brings the total number of arrested officials to 39 following the arrest of 14 officials in the same province on Monday while 11 other officers were handcuffed in Polokwane, Limpopo last week and a weighbridge master was caught in Belfast, Mpumalanga.
The 13 officers arrested on Tuesday were caught in a joint operation conducted by the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s (RTMC) National Anti-Corruption Unit, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) and Mpumalanga based Crime Intelligence.
The 13 suspects were nabbed in Nelspruit, Kabokweni, KwaNyamazane, Hazyview, Barberton, White River and Calcutta just outside of Mbombela.
Some of the suspects have appeared in different magistrate courts and were all granted bail ranging from R2 500 to R10.000.
They are expected to hand over their passports to the investigating officer, and not leave their hometowns without permission from the investigating officer.
RTMC Chief Executive Officer Advocate Makhosini Msibi has welcomed the arrests and said they will send a message that corruption within traffic law enforcement will not be tolerated.
“Corrupt officials have for a long time operated with impunity and turned the noble duty of enforcing the law into a self-enrichment scheme. This must come to an end. South Africa deserves ethical officers who conduct themselves with discipline and integrity,” he said.
He commended all the officers involved in the investigations that led to the arrests to a job well done. He called on them not to rest until all the “rotten apples have been removed”.
Corrupt officers erode public confidence in the traffic law enforcement and create condition where motorists can violate the rules of the road without consequence leading to avoidable road crashes and fatalities.
The RTMC urges the public to report traffic fraud and corruption on Ntacu@rtmc.co.za or Whatsapp on 083 293 7989. – SAnews.gov.za
