Officer Lydia Matsapola was sentenced by the Roodepoort Magistrate’s Court on Thursday after she was arrested in a sting operation by members of the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit (NTACU) in March last year.
Matsapola had stopped an undercover agent for driving a vehicle without a valid licence disc. She accepted a R100 bribe in exchange for allowing the agent to drive away without the required fine.
“Matsapola was charged under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act. She was further sentenced to five years imprisonment, suspended for five years provided she is not found guilty of a similar offence,” the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said on Thursday.
The magistrate also declared her unfit to possess a firearm. The Road Traffic Management Corporation said it will now apply to have the officer unregistered as an unauthorised officer to prevent her from ever working in the law enforcement fraternity.
“The sentence should send a message to other traffic law enforcement officers that bribery and corruption have very negative consequences,” the cooperation said.
North West cops nabbed for dishonesty
In North West, three other traffic officers have been dismissed by the Department of Community Safety and Transport Management after being found guilty of dishonesty.
The three were arrested by NTACU in December 2016 for taking bribes from undercover officers.
An internal disciplinary hearing found that the three breached the relationship of trust that existed between them and their employer and ordered their dismissal.
The three are expected to appear in the Brits Magistrate’s Court on charges related to bribery. They are currently on bail of R2000 each.
Meanwhile, the Gauteng Department of Community Safety has also dismissed a provincial inspector, Clement Khonke, for accepting a R200 bribe from an anti-corruption agent in December 2016.
Khonke is facing criminal charges and is expected to appear in the Springs Magistrate’s Court soon. He is currently out on R1000 bail.
Members of the public have been encouraged to report fraud and corruption involving traffic law enforcement officers to the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit on 0861 400 800 or az.oc.cmtr@ucatN.
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