Traffic official demands cash from foreigners
The official then demanded cash. All they had on them was R1 000 and €75. Martin handed this over but was also asked for dollars, which he didn't have.
Two more foreigners claim to have fallen prey to being bribed by traffic officers in Mpumalanga.
This growing tendency is currently of grave concern to the tourism industry in the province. Owners in the local accommodation and restaurant trade are regularly informed of such occurrences. Very seldom, if ever, guests from elsewhere do not want to become involved in a criminal case or the investigation which follows.
This week, head of Barberton Tourism, Astrid Christianson was notified of yet another incident. She learnt that in this case an owner of a guest house in Graskop where the couple was residing the previous night, had taken his guests to the local police station to lay a charge. The provincial traffic authority had yet to react on the allegations.
Christianson told Barberton Times that she had met up with two visitors from Gouda in the Netherlands at Jathira Lodge on Monday. Martin and Tineke van der Leem are nearing the end of their three-week visit to South Africa.
After visiting Sun City and having toured the North West, it was time to visit Mpumalanga. On Saturday they drove through Bushbuckridge on their way to spend the night in Graskop.
At approximately 13:00, while stationary next to the road in their rental car, they noticed a traffic vehicle with blue lights behind them.
Martin got out and approached the official, but was told to get into the car. The officer told him he was being fined as he had been driving in the yellow line, driving too slow and recklessly, and had been endangering other people’s lives.
Martin told Christianson this was not true at all. The official then demanded cash. All they had on them was R1 000 and €75. Martin handed this over but was also asked for dollars, which he didn’t have.
In the end, the traffic official had the audacity to give them back R50 for “soft drinks”.
After arriving at the guest house, their host prompted them to open a case against the official, of whom they had all the details.
According to the couple, the police contacted the traffic official, whom they seemed to know, but he had all kinds of excuses.
The case is being investigated.
“Martin and Tineke said they would never visit South Africa again, especially not Mpumalanga. The case has been opened, but will they get their money back? These officials know that no one will travel back to a foreign country to attend a court case,” said Christianson, “and this is such a shame for our province!
“This kind of thing happens over and over again and nothing seems to come of these cases.
Tourism is the heartbeat of our country, and Mpumalanga is right up there with all the favourite destinations in South Africa. This has got to stop.”
In the meantime, Thinus and Ina Breedt, owners of Jathira, were intent on showing the Van der Leems true South African hospitality, starting with a traditional braai on Monday evening.
Christianson also gave them a book on the geotrail and took them on the trail on Tuesday as they were on their way to Swaziland by then.
“It’s one step forward and 10 steps back for tourism. A thing such as this leaves a bitter taste in my mouth as this is an ongoing problem in Mpumalanga. Hopefully what they see of the rest of our country and its people will change their, at present, unbending attitude to not come back,” she said.
Most of these holidaymakers meet up with Christianson, and discuss their experiences once back in their own countries, so many visit Mpumalanga due to word of mouth.
If their experience is bad, tourism and the province and country as a whole lose business.
