Three former traffic officials from the Kouga Local Municipality have been arrested and are scheduled to appear in the Humansdorp Magistrate’s Court soon.
This comes after a three-year investigation by the Anti-Corruption Unit of the SAPS. The three were taken into custody on Thursday.
They are facing several charges including fraud, corruption, and violations of the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996.
Worked as examiners at Kouga Local Municipality testing centre
According to the cops, the three males, who are between the ages of 49 and 55 years, were employed by Kouga Local Municipality and served as examiners for the Humansdorp Traffic Department in the Eastern Cape.
It is further alleged that the three suspects were issuing driving licences to motorists without conducting physical examinations (tests), as prescribed in the National Road Traffic Act 93 of 1996 Acting Provincial Commissioner.
Police Major General Zithulele Dladla said the arrest demonstrates the commitment of the SAPS to root out corruption, which is an occupational hazard in the public sector, and also endangers public safety.
Meanwhile, seven officials between the ages of 37 and 62 were arrested in February for allegedly issuing learners and driver’s licences without following proper procedures, in return for gratification, at the Thabazimbi Traffic Department in Limpopo.
Traffic officials’ graft tops police corruption
According to a 2022/23 Stats SA Governance, Public Safety and Justice Survey, more traffic officials than any other government officials asked individuals for bribes in 2019/20 and 2022/23.
The survey further revealed that soliciting bribes is deeply embedded in traffic policing in South Africa.
“Based on current population figures and recent Statistics SA surveys, it may be estimated that roughly 870, 000 people in South Africa had bribes solicited from them by traffic police in 2024 (2% of the adult population).
“SAPS corruption also features prominently in Stats SA survey results. But the findings show that graft linked to traffic policing is the most brazen form of police corruption in South Africa,” said the survey.
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