Mpumalanga Traffic Officer Jailed For 5 Years After Demanding R50 ‘Cold Drink’ Bribe From Undercover Agent

A Mpumalanga traffic officer who demanded a R50 bribe from a motorist has been handed a five-year prison sentence, wholly suspended, by the Ermelo Magistrate’s Court.

According to Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Magonseni Nkosi, Thembisile Yende’s arrest came after Ermelo motorists raised repeated concerns about officials allegedly soliciting bribes on local roads.

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“Yende was arrested in 2022 in Ermelo after the Hawks Middelburg-based Serious Corruption Investigation team reacted to the outcry after motorists in Ermelo raised concern about traffic officials who unduly sought gratification in exchange for traffic law violations,” Nkosi said.

The 48-year-old officer was sentenced on Tuesday following an undercover operation conducted by the Middelburg-based Serious Corruption Investigation team in 2022.

Hawks Sting Operation Exposes R50 Bribe Solicitation In Mpumalanga

The Hawks launched the sting on 30 March 2022 after weeks of monitoring officials suspected of demanding illicit payments.

During the operation, a police agent posed as a motorist and was instructed to pay R50 for failing to display vehicle registration plates. Yende was arrested moments later.

She appeared in court multiple times before being convicted and ultimately receiving a wholly suspended five-year sentence. The suspension is conditional on her not being convicted of a similar offence within the next five years.

Hawks Warn Corrupt Officials After Suspended Sentence

Mpumalanga Hawks head, Major General Nico Gerber, said the ruling should serve as a wake-up call to law-enforcement officers involved in corruption.

He noted that while suspended sentences for corruption “are not the desired outcome”, the Directorate respects the court’s decision.

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