[imagesource: Pexels / Siegfried Poepperl]

South Africa is known for its biltong, vuvuzelas, and gees, to name a few things.

On the flip side, it is also known for its rampant corruption, openness to briberies, and myriad protests.

Put those last three elements together and you’ve got the epitome of a South African situation, happening in Mpumalanga at the moment.

Driving school owners in the province have been up in arms against “greedy” traffic officials – alarm bell one – as they have been planning to increase their bribery fees from R1 700 to R2 000 – alarm bell two – for students that need driving licences – alarm bell three.

The school owners protested at the Mbombela Local Municipality offices on Friday, reported IOL:

Community members were shocked that the protest was not against the bribes traffic officers demanded to produce favourable results for driving school students, but against the increment of the bribery fees.

“Isn’t it shocking that the bribery of traffic officials has become legal? The protesters themselves are guilty of a crime. They, and corrupt traffic officials, belong behind bars,” said one motorist.

Yep, the problems run deep in this one.

One traffic school owner in Mkhuhlu outside Hazyview said that officials take advantage as clients are so desperate for driving licences and often need them as part of the condition for employment – alarm bell four.

He said it was impossible to pass without a bribe as the “traffic officer will tell you no one in the country can pass a driving test. There’ll always be a slight mistake, so you have to bribe them if you want your client to pass.”

Collecting bribes of up to R12 000 a day on average is too sweet for these traffic cops, clearly, and the school owner says the greed runs deeper than at the cops’ level – alarm bell five:

“There is a chain of corrupt bosses at the top, including politicians in municipal offices. They receive a collective share daily; that’s why it’s difficult to investigate one particular official.”

Eight Mbombela traffic officials have already been arrested in the past two months and charged with fraud, corruption, and money laundering, all adding up to R60 million.

Apparently, they are all out on R15 000 bail. No biggie.

Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Vusi Shongwe said “we strongly condemn corruption in the licencing environment”.

With five alarm bells ringing, I somehow doubt it, Mr Shongwe.

[source:iol]