Rogue police officers soliciting bribes from self-drive tourists will be held accountable and will be arrested, according to the South African Police Services.
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Tourism Update recently published an article on how corrupt officials are a major threat to the tourism industry in South Africa. The article detailed a Roadside Anti-Corruption Initiative that was launched recently to inform travellers that it’s illegal to pay cash to a traffic officer or any other official on the roadside and that any incidents should be reported.
Although readers welcomed the initiative to inform and educate travellers, they questioned why the focus was not place on putting facilities and systems in place for treating rogue officers. One reader asked: “What has happened to some of the officers who have been caught dipping their grubby paws into the bribery cookie jar? I for one honestly believe that any traffic officer who is reported, gets a little time at home with full pay, and then just pops back in to the honey pot like nothing has happened when the dust has settled.”
Lieutenant Colonel Arrie de Beer of SAPS, whose number features on the anti-corruption card distributed to travellers, told Tourism Update that, when a call was received, it was immediately communicated to the SAPS investigation team. The traveller would then be asked to make a statement and once the corrupt officer had been identified, the case would appear in front of the National Prosecuting Authority. A warrant for the officer’s arrest would be issued and they would be arrested and lose their jobs.
When asked whether any officials had been arrested yet, Colonel de Beer explained that investigations tended to take some time, especially when it involved travellers who were often reluctant to ‘waste’ their holiday time to make a statement at the local police station.
Lisa Sheard, Chairperson Kruger Lowveld Tourism (KLT), said very few cases had been reported to the SAPS. One of the reasons was that people were in the area for such a short time that by the time the authorities heard about their experiences, they were on their way out of the country. She adds: “People also do not want to report to SAPS because they have realised that they have actually paid a bribe after the event – that is illegal!
“Government needs to step in and deal with these rogue traffic cops, but there seems some reluctance,” admitted Sheard. She said KLT had been told that these corrupt activities are like pyramid schemes, where the corruption money reached many officials in senior management.
Sheard said the government would need to look into setting up mobile tourist courts to deal with any crimes against tourists, similar to those set up during the 2010 World Cup. “This would allow for speedy resolution to crimes against tourists who are only in the country for a short time.”
Mohau Ramodibe, Head of Communication for the Mpumalanga Department of Economic Development and Tourism, said the Department was taking the alleged issue of roadside corruption by the traffic officers very seriously. He said the Department and the relevant stakeholders were jointly developing the Provincial Tourism Safety Strategy and Plan which aimed to address such issues. “In the short-term, we will soon roll out Tourism Awareness Workshops throughout the province, during which traffic officers will be invited, and urged to become tourism Ambassadors for the province.”
