A detective sergeant from Laingsburg in the Western Cape has been arrested for corruption for demanding a bribe from a taxi driver.
Western Cape SAPS spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg said the officer, who was arrested on 22 March, allegedly asked the driver on 5 December to pay him R2,500 after the vehicle he was driving was involved in a fraud case in Midrand.
“He negotiated with the driver and R1,000 in cash was handed over to the sergeant. When they returned to the police station, the driver and his passenger were released,” said Twigg.
The matter was reported to the SAPS anti-corruption unit and, following a thorough investigation, a case was presented to the director of public prosecutions who issued a warrant of arrest.
The suspect is in custody and will appear in the Worcester Magistrate’s court.
The acting provincial commissioner of the Western Cape SAPS, Major-General PL Voskuil, issued a stern warning against police officers soliciting bribes and emphasised the SAPS’s zero-tolerance approach towards corruption.
Ncediswa Jizana, a resident of Cape Town, is not surprised at the officer’s arrest.
“SAPS members are the worst for committing crime. That is the reason why communities don’t have a good working relationship with cops. The police are corrupt and work with criminals,” said Jizana.
“The number of officers breaking the law increases every day. We read about these all the time, and it shows that they don’t respect the law. They know when they are caught they will not be given harsh sentences.”
Pictured above: Bribe.
Image source: Stock
