It seems that even if police officers are shown on national television accepting bribes, they can keep their jobs.
Police officers from Booysens police station in Johannesburg were shown accepting bribes from alleged illegal immigrants on the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s (SABC) Special Assignment programme on Tuesday evening.
The Mail & Guardian Online can confirm that on Wednesday, two days after police management was alerted to the scandal, the seven police officers in question were still on the beat.
Gauteng police Commissioner Perumal Naidoo, who was invited to view the Special Assignment footage at the SABC in Auckland Park on Monday, apparently stormed out of the studio after viewing the footage, and refused to comment.
Puti Setati, the national police spokesperson, branded the Special Assignment programme as ”allegations”.
He admitted that the allegations ”are very serious in nature” and that the police officers are being investigated.
”It’s only fair that we investigate these allegations,” he replied. ”We saw that thing on television. It’s an allegation. Allegations [have] to be investigated.”
However, he said the ”importance of evidence cannot be overemphasised” and that the footage filmed by the Special Assignment crew will form part of the investigation.
”We’ve got a team of investigators that are busy,” he said.
According to the footage, the police officers took R300 bribes from relatives to ”bail out” illegal immigrants.
In a startling revelation, an attorney at the Wits Law Clinic, Abeda Bhamjee, said allegations of bribery are common.
Another legal expert interviewed on the programme said this is happening at police stations all over the Johannesburg area. It is estimated that illegal immigrants hand over about R90-million to corrupt officials each year.