A former West Rand traffic official will appear at the Westonaria magistrate’s court in January next year for soliciting a R100 bribe. The ex-cop tried to solicit the bribe from an undercover police officer posing as a motorist. The undercover police was driving a vehicle without a front number plate.
Corruption charges
Spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Warrant-Officer Wendy Nkabi, said the suspect is facing a charge of corruption.
Nkabi said the suspect, 31, was arrested on May 6 2023 by the Hawks Serious Corruption Investigation unit in the West Rand. This was after they received a tip-off about corrupt activities by metro police, provincial traffic police, South African Police Services (SAPS) and municipal traffic police around Gauteng.
Covert operation
Nkabi said the suspect was nabbed when the Hawks conducted a covert operation to arrest those who are involved in these corrupt activities.
“They [Hawks] sent agents around the area to do buy-and-busts. One agent was stopped on corner N12 and R28 intersection by the suspect who extorted an amount of R100 from an agent for driving a vehicle without the front number plate. The agent gave feedback and returned with Hawks investigators to point out the suspect. The traffic official tried to evade arrest but was chased and apprehended,” said Nkabi.
January court date
Nkabi said the suspect will make his first court appearance at the Westonaria magistrate’s court on January 16 2024.
Hawks spokesperson Col Katlego Mogale said after the suspect’s arrest in May this year, the suspect was issued with a J175 – which enables the court to issue a warrant of arrest for the suspect in case the suspect fails to appear in court on January 16 2024.
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