Our safety is in the hands of the Almighty God.

Mr Editor

I would like to take this opportunity to slam the practice of bribery of traffic cops by taxi drivers.

This issue affects me greatly because I take taxis every day to work. I use the route between Vosloorus and East Rand Mall. It worries me to see police officers taking a bribe from the taxi driver who is

driving an unroadworthy vehicle instead of issuing him with a traffic fine. It means the people who were

put on the roads to protect us are the ones who are putting our lives in danger. They don’t care about our lives because the cars that they use are roadworthy and in good condition.

Many of the drivers use stones as handbrakes, meaning the brakes are faulty. I would like to ask any bribe-taking cop who reads this: how you would feel if your loved one lost their life on the

road in the very same taxi that you let go just because you took R20 for a cold drink? Who would you blame, the taxi driver or yourself?

At the same time I can’t put blame only on the traffic cops but the one who pays their salary. The cheques that they take home at the end of the month are very thin. That is why some police officers have turned into corrupt officers. They have high bills to pay on a very low salary, while the cost of living is very high in our country.

The only thing the government can do to help is to make sure that the cheque books of police officers are improved.