A Joburg metro policeman was arrested for soliciting a R200 bribe after a taxi driver ratted him out to the police.
The 33-year-old officer was conducting a roadblock along the intersection of Main Reef Road and John Page Drive in Jeppestown on Sunday afternoon when he pulled over an overloaded taxi.
After a quick inspection inside the minibus, he found that an extra seat had been fitted in the front row of the taxi.
Johannesburg metro police department (JMPD) spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said the officer had confiscated the driver’s licence disk and demanded R200 to get it back.
He told the driver that his failure to do so would mean that his minibus would be sent away for the extra seat to be removed and the vehicle would need to undergo a roadworthy test before he would be able to get a new licence disk.
Minnaar said the taxi driver asked to offload his passengers first and paid the officer later when he returned.
The taxi driver then reported the officer to the Jeppe police station, whose cops later arrested the officer.
Member of the mayoral committee for community safety Matshidiso Mfikoe condemned the incident and urged the public to report corrupt officers on the 24-hour anti-corruption hotline 0800 203 712.
“The JMPD will never condone corruption. Corrupt officers who take bribe money will appear before a disciplinary hearing and, where there is evidence against them to prove the corruption, they will be dismissed,” said Minnaar.
The officer is facing charges of bribery and corruption and will appear in court soon. - The Star