PORT ELIZABETH - PE COURT SENTENCES CONSTABLE TO 3 YEAR IN PRISON FOR ACCEPTING R100 BRIBE

A Graaff-Reinet police constable, who accepted R100 as a bribe from a motorist, was jailed for three years by the Port Elizabeth Commercial Crime’s Court yesterday.

Constable Mtetho Makwena was found guilty on one count of corruption by magistrate Louis Claassen.

The policeman’s court appearance stems from May 26 2014 when he and a colleague, Constable Eunice Roman, were working near the N9 between Graaff Reinet and Cradock.

A Toyota Fortuner, driven by Tiaan Erasmus who did not have a driver’s licence and was accompanied by his father, Pieter Erasmus, was pulled over by the two constables.

Roman testified that Tiaan Erasmus was driving without a licence and that Makwena told him and his dad to follow him to a police vehicle where he was expected to give them fines.

“The police vehicle was parked about 5m from where I was,” Roman said.

“I noticed that Erasmus handed something to Makwena. I walked to the police vehicle as the driver and his passenger left and I asked him [Makwena] what was handed to him.

“He denied having anything handed over to him,” Roman told the court.

When she checked the police register, there were no fines issued.

Roman confronted Makwena, who claimed he had issued a verbal warning to the Erasmus’s and that he was given R100.

VIA - heraldlive.co.za