World
DA Slams Gauteng Law Enforcement Over R1.5 Million in Alleged Bribes and Hundreds of Corruption Complaints
By Suné Payne
Democratic Alliance (DA) community safety spokesperson for Gauteng, Michael Sun, has raised alarm over widespread corruption within the province's traffic and metro police services, citing figures from a written parliamentary reply that revealed 456 complaints of fraud, corruption, theft and extortion had been lodged against Gauteng's law enforcement agencies over a four-year period.
According to the response, submitted following a DA parliamentary question, 185 of the complaints were filed against the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) and 180 against its Tshwane counterpart. The remaining complaints were linked to other law enforcement bodies in the province.
The parliamentary reply also disclosed that on one occasion, officers in Johannesburg were accused of soliciting a combined R1.5 million in bribes within a single day. The document stated that no overall total for bribery amounts could be confirmed, as some extortion and corruption attempts were not completed, but confirmed that R1.5 million in cash was the highest amount recorded on one day.
The DA's original question, which sought details on corruption within the Gauteng Traffic Police (GTP) and metro police departments in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane since 2022, asked how many bribery-related complaints had been received, how many officials faced suspension or dismissal, and how much money had allegedly been demanded.
In response, authorities revealed that in Johannesburg, 17 officers were dismissed and 47 suspended. In Ekurhuleni, 115 officers were investigated, with seven suspended and one dismissed. In Tshwane, 314 officers were investigated, 28 suspended for bribery and corruption, and 17 dismissed.
Sun said the figures were troubling, noting that they only reflected officially reported cases and that the true scale of corruption could be far greater. He also pointed out that, based on his calculations, only 175 of the implicated officers - or 38.3% - had faced criminal charges.
His comments follow an incident in April in which the Hawks arrested 13 police officers in two separate extortion-related cases.
Sun called on Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to take decisive action against corruption within the province's law enforcement agencies, urging greater transparency and accountability. He said there appeared to be no effective system in place to detect or deter corrupt practices, adding that residents should not have to choose between obeying the law and facing extortion by those meant to enforce it.
The DA has made anti-corruption measures within Gauteng's metro police services a key part of its election campaign in the province's three metros, pledging to hold implicated officials accountable.