Traffic cop sentenced for taking R100 bribe

ABERDEEN — A provincial traffic officer stationed in Aberdeen was sentenced last week by Judge JJ Claassen in the Commercial Crimes Court in Port Elizabeth for taking a bribe of R100 from a local taxi driver.

Nthuthuzeli Dwane (49) was sentenced to seven years imprisonment, of which three years is suspended for five years – an effective four years in jail.

Dwane has been granted leave to appeal the sentence, but not the conviction.

On May 1, 2016, whilst on duty, Dwane was driving an official traffic department vehicle on the R61 between Aberdeen and Beaufort West when he stopped a vehicle driven by Klipplaat resident Wayne Seekoei about 10km from Aberdeen. Seekoei was returning home from Paarl with his brother’s taxi, transporting some Jansenville residents who had been attending a funeral.

Dwane called Seekoei to the traffic vehicle and asked him for his driver’s licence and the permit for transporting passengers. Seekoei handed him his driver’s licence as well as a file with the vehicle’s documentation and informed Dwane that the taxi does not need the permit as it can only transport nine people. He then pointed out the valid operator’s disc on the windscreen.

Dwane kept Seekoei’s driver’s licence and the file and instructed Seekoei to follow him and to stop when he flicked his lights. He then drove off, followed by Seekoie, and stopped again a few kilometres later at a layby.

Seekoei was then threatened by Dwane that he could issue him with a huge fine for not being in possession of the said permit. Dwane then returned the driver’s licence and the file and asked Seekoie which route he would be using to Jansenville. When Seekoie replied that he would be going via Graaff-reinet, Dwane said that he would stop him again on the way to Graaff-reinet. He asked to see where Seekoie kept his driver’s licence. “When I showed him my wallet, he saw that it was full of cash from the passengers, and he laughed,” said Seekoei.

Seekoei then drove off towards Graaff-reinet, but about 5km past Aberdeen was again instructed by Dwane to pull over. Seekoei was understandably very frustrated by now, as this was the third time that he had been pulled over by the same traffic officer, and he asked one of his passengers to get out of the vehicle to witness what was happening.

This time, Dwane said that he was going to write him a large fine as he claimed that one of the taxi’s lights was not working- this was denied by Seekoie. Dwane then demanded a protection fee as he had guarded him against the other traffic officials that they had just passed outside Aberdeen.

Seekoei then went back to his vehicle and took out a R100 note, which he photographed in front of his passengers before handing it to the Dwane. When Dwane turned his vehicle around and headed back to Aberdeen, one of the passengers immediately phoned the Aberdeen police, and Seekoie also turned back to Aberdeen and went straight to the police station to report the incident.

A police officer took Seekoie and a passenger back to the intersection of the N9 and the R61, where they saw Dwane’s vehicle parked in a layby. Dwane was chatting with other traffic officials parked on the other side of the road Wayne Seekoei, the driver who took a stand against bribery.

but came across to his vehicle when he saw the police arrive. Dwane was searched but did not have the R100 note on his person. Before the police officer could complete a search of his car, Dwane drove his vehicle off at high speed, almost injuring the officer who was getting out of the passenger side. He drove about 50m, turned around and drove back, also at high speed, and told the police officer that he could now search the vehicle.

The money was never found, but Seekoei opened a case, and in court, Dwane admitted to accepting the R100. According to Seekoei, one of the other traffic officers, who witnessed the search, also testified against Dwane.

Seekoei, a local councillor, is pleased that justice has been seen to be done, and has been praised for taking the trouble to delay his journey in order to report this corruption. “I believe that this is a strong message for law enforcement officers who think they can make their own laws on the road,” said Seekoei. “They are there to ensure that road traffic laws are properly and fairly enforced, and the vast majority of them do an excellent job”.

This follows a case last November, where Cst Mtetho Makwena of Jansenville was sentenced to three years imprisonment for accepting a R100 bribe from a motorist in 2014, whilst stationed in Graaff-reinet.

Khuselwa Rantjie, the spokesperson for the Department of Transport, gave the following response to the case of Officer Dwane :

“The Department condemns acts of corruption and wishes to sound a word of warning to all its employees to refrain from such actions as the Department will not hesitate to take action against transgressors. Corruption undermines efforts of the Department in promoting road safety and adherence to the laws of the country.

On an ongoing basis, we conduct education and awareness campaigns to deal with matters of risk management and promote anti-fraud strategies. With respect to the officer in question, the Department is continuing with its internal processes while the officer has been withdrawn from active law enforcement pending the disciplinary process”.