SA: Corrupt officers are accessory to murder

Transport Minister Dipuo Peters says Traffic Law Enforcement Officers who accept bribes from road transgressors are accessory to murder. Addressing the media in Parliament Peters said her department is grappling with the challenge of complaints that some officers continue to take bribes from road users.

The Transport Minister says preventing bribery on the road requires the cooperation of the public.

“Our request is simple: Do not offer bribes to our officers or accede to requests for bribes from our officers.”

Peters says if a traffic officer accepts a bribe from a road transgressor that is tantamount to committing murder on the road.

“Because the offender could go on and cause mayhem a few kilometres down the road.”

She says both the road transgressor and the traffic officer involved must be held criminally liable if bribery is committed.

Peters also says her department wants to strengthen regulations for driving schools as part of curbing road carnage in South Africa. She says driving schools should not just become a business to make money.

Peters says some of the road accidents are caused by inexperienced drivers who have just obtained their license after going through driving schools.

Driving schools

She says driving schools should become centres of giving learners good driving skills instead of making a quick buck.

“So, we would want to make sure that we strengthen the areas of regulations in the driving schools, so that they can produce capable and competent drivers, who are qualified to be on South African roads.”

Peters says some people buy vehicles and decide to open a driving school the following day. She says the South African economy is losing more than R300 billion annually as a result of carnage on the country's roads.


Source: SABC