Help break the habit of bribing traffic officials
The fight to end corruption among traffic officials is an ongoing one, especially for the tourist establishments in the area. Residents and tourists alike are urged to never pay bribes to traffic officers as this encourages extortion of other motorists and other scams.
During a recent meeting of the the Hazyview Chamber of Business and Tourism (HCBT) it was once again emphasised that establishments should warn tourists, especially foreigners, against paying spot fines to traffic officials.
In October last year, the HCBT and Kruger Lowveld Tourism spearheaded an awareness campaign to curb incidents of corruption involving officials and tourists. Special warning cards were printed and distributed to establishments in the tourism sector. These are still available and hotels, car-rental companies or tourism-information centres can request it from chamber committee members. On the card, tourists are warned that it is illegal to pay cash to a traffic officer or other official on the road. They are told that legitimate fines must be paid at a police station or Magistrate’s Court only and a receipt issued and road tolls must only be paid at official toll plazas. They are also advised to present the card to the officer who stopped them or to contact the number on the card if they have any problems or doubts. Contact details of the police, establishments the guests stay at or the car-rental company are included on it.
Domestic tourists have also been cautioned against paying bribes to get out of trouble as this creates a culture of corruption.
A toll scam in the Lydenburg area also cost several tourists a lot of money. They were reportedly told that they were travelling on a “toll road” and had to pay fees to officials. It has come to the attention of authorities and they are considering posting signboards at entry roads to Lydenburg to inform tourists that it is not a toll road and that fees should only be paid at official toll plazas.
Travel tips and warnings regarding the above-mentioned issues will be included in the Kruger Lowveld Chamber of Business and Tourism’s most-recent tourist-information brochure (Z-card) to help create awareness.
Motorists are urged to report any attempted bribery or extortion at the nearest police station or the establishment where they stay. The HCBT’s tourist liaison officer, Mr Elvis Ngomane can be contacted on 073-741-3553 and is stationed at the police station to assist tourists. For enquiries regarding the warning cards, send an email to Mr Chris Harvie at cbharvie@gmail.com
