Two Bloemfontein-based traffic officers facing charges of corruption, fraud and theft were acquitted.
Letebele Rampai and Martha Tsoenyane, better known as Mamoruti, were acquitted on 18 October of charges arising from allegations of soliciting a bribe from a foreign national in Bloemfontein last year April.
The motorist was allegedly asked to produce his passport, in addition to R1 400 in order to have his vehicle safeguarded against impoundment.
The officers are still in the employment of the Mangaung Metro Municipality’s traffic department.
Machini Motloung of Legal Aid SA’s Bloemfontein bureau represented Tsoenyane while Kabelo Matee of Matee Attorneys represented Rampai.
Motloung said the two officers’ acquittal came after the state had failed to provide evidence of a bribe being solicited.
He said they were acquitted in terms of section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which states that if at the close of the case for the prosecution, the court finds no evidence that the accused committed the offence referred to in the charge or any offence of which the accused may be convicted, it may return a verdict of not guilty.
“If the application of the provisions of S174 favours the accused, then they are discharged from prosecution without having to testify,” said Motloung.
The officers appeared in court on several occasions following their arrest by the Hawks’ Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit based in Bloemfontein in April last year.
