Mhlengi Nxumalo Wants Justice, Alleges He Was Assaulted, Arrested and Then Asked for R5,000 Bribe
- A 23-year-old Gauteng man alleges that traffic officers assaulted him before they arrested him
- Mhlengi Nxumalo claimed that a detective contacted him to ask for a R5,000 bribe to make the case go away
- The resident of Ga-Rankuwa stated that he was arrested for driving under the influence but wasn't driving
GAUTENG - Mhlengi Nxumalo is still seeking justice eight months after he was allegedly beaten up by traffic officials, arrested and then asked for a bribe by another detective.
The 23-year-old from Ga-Rankuwa detailed how traffic officers unlawfully arrested them for driving under the influence despite him not being behind the wheel.
He also stated that he had to pay a bribe to make the case disappear.
Nxumalo arrested outside Bronkhorstspruit
In an interview with TimesLIVE, he explained that he was visiting friends in Bronkhorstspruit on 6 April when they decided to go to Pretoria.
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He said that while he did have a few drinks, he never got behind the wheel.
“We hit a pothole outside Bronkhorstspruit, almost at the Diamond Hill toll gate, and our rear right-hand tyre burst,” he said.
As they did not have a wheel spanner, his friends decided to hike back to town to get one while he took a nap in the passenger seat.
Nxumalo added that he was woken up by three aggressive traffic officers.
“They threw me on the ground, and I was assaulted also. The traffic officers then gave me a breathalyser, and when I failed that, they said we had to go to the hospital for blood tests.”
Nxumalo was arrested and booked into the cells, where he spent two weeks until he was released on bail.
Gauteng's traffic officers have made headlines this year for their actions. On 3 September, videos surfaced of an officer involved in a heated confrontation. Many claimed that he was well known for abusing motorists and taking bribes.
Nxumalo asked to pay R5,000 bribe
The case against him has since been provisionally withdrawn, but Nxumalo alleged that a detective contacted him for a bribe to make the case disappear.
“At the start of this December, a detective called me. He said my docket was still open, but the evidence was light enough that he could make it go away if I paid a fine of R5,000.”
Nxumalo managed to negotiate and eventually paid the officer a bribe, depositing R3,000 into a Capitec account.
He added that he has since tried numerous times to open a case against the officers but received no help from local police.
“I wanted to make a case against these officers, the traffic cops and the bribe detective. They beat me, arrested me for no reason, and another one wanted a bribe. I want justice,” he said.
Thanks to a nonprofit organisation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the 23-year-old opened a case at the Pretoria Central Police Station.
SAPS pays billions for wrongful arrests
Nxumalo is one of many South Africans who have been wrongfully arrested and detained in police custody.
Briefly News reported that the South African Police Service (SAPS) had to pay out R1.66 billion in four years.
Police Minister Senzo Mchunu revealed that this was for wrongful arrests and some for injuries while in custody.
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Source: Briefly News