‘Cops asked me for a bribe’- bus driver

A bus driver working in the city found himself fighting corruption while travelling on one of his weekly routes between Polokwane and Johannesburg on Sunday.

He had nearly completed the route, using the N1, and only had one more stop in Polokwane, when police officials flagged him down, indicating that he should stop.

The driver stopped, thinking he was being pulled over for not wearing his safety belt. However, he was surprised when the officials accused him of driving while talking on his cellphone.

“I refused to accept the charge and the two policemen asked me to step out of the bus and walk to their vehicle with them where they hinted that I could walk away without paying a fine if I had something for them to make the problem go away.

“I refused and said I would not pay any bribes and I had not used my cellphone while driving. The one policeman said I should remember that driving is my means of income and that a court battle would ensure that I lost money as it could drag on for days. He said I would be much better off if I simply looked after them.

“I refused and said I had the details of all the passengers on the bus and would ask them to testify in my favour as they were witnesses to what happened. At this, the policemen told me to leave,” the bus driver said.

He added that this was not the first time something like this had happened to him and he had heard of other bus drivers who had similar experiences.

Review spoke to several other bus companies who confirmed they had received reports from their drivers of attempts by police officials to bribe them. Some of the companies also said this phenomenon intensified over festive periods.

Provincial police spokesperson, Col Ronél Otto, said she was not aware of any incidents such as these.

She urged drivers to report these incidents to the nearest police station with information that could identify the police officials involved.

“All police officials must have their names displayed on their uniforms and, if for some reason it is not displayed, the registration number of the vehicle they use can be taken down.”

Polokwane police spokesperson, WO Lesiba Ramoshaba, said the police was there to serve and protect.

“If officials make themselves guilty of this offence they must be brought to book, which is why it is important for the public to report these matters so that they can be dealt with accordingly,” he said.