Too late for clerk to ‘walk away’ from bribe

FROM a promising career in the police Crime Intelligence Unit, to washing cars – that’s the price a father of two small children has to pay for requesting a bribe for private information.

Former clerk Zukasani Mtakati, 32, was fined R10 000 or 10 months in jail.

He was also sentenced to four years in jail, conditionally suspended for five, when he pleaded guilty in the Bellville Specialised Commercial Crimes Court yesterday, to corruptly requesting a R3 000 bribe for private information from the CIU’s computers.

He appeared before magistrate Sabrina Sonnenberg, who agreed with prosecutor Xolile Jonas that the suspended prison sentence would make him “think twice” if he ever faced temptation again.

The suspended jail sentence had to hang over his head like the proverbial Sword of Damo- cles, the magistrate said.

The prosecutor reminded the court that crime intelligence was crucial in combating crime, and was a vital tool in police investigations.

Mtakati had abused his position of trust, the prosecutor said.

The court heard that the CIU had information that Mtakati was selling information obtained from the unit’s computers, and a police undercover operation was authorised.

Profile

In the trap, Mtakati was given an agent’s cellphone number, on the pretence that the agent wanted someone’s profile.

Mtakati called the agent to satisfy himself that he was talking to the correct person, then arranged to meet the agent at the Cape Gate shopping mall in Brackenfell.

Prior to the meeting, the agent was given R10 000 to pay Mtakati for the information.

Mtakati met the agent as planned, but instead of exchanging the information for the bribe, he changed his mind and “walked away”. The magistrate commended Mtakati for walking away, as he had “done the honourable thing”. Unfortunately, it was too late, as his very arrangement to meet the agent in the first instance, was sufficient for a conviction on corruption, she said.

He had been prepared to sell private information for a bribe, and had pleaded guilty, but he in fact had no option but to plead guilty because he had been trapped, she said.

Mtakati had brought shame and disgrace on his wife and small children, but the punishment had to be fair, not a “show of power”. The court had to bring home to him that crime did not pay, she said.