Pretoria – Convicted Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) officer Sebo Mathabatha will know her fate in May.
Her case for soliciting a R100 bribe from an undercover agent was on Wednesday postponed when she appeared briefly in the Cullinan Magistrate’s Court for the consideration of the pre-sentencing report.
The court was expected to hear evidence on aggravating factors and mitigation of sentence.
But instead, the 30-year-old’s defence asked the court for transcripts for further investigation. She will return on May 10 for sentencing.
Mathabatha was arrested on Moloto Road in December 2015 while conducting law enforcement operations. She stopped an undercover national traffic anti-corruption agent for overtaking on a barrier line and proceeded to solicit a R100 bribe.
She was immediately arrested and charged and is out on bail. She has since resigned from the TMPD.
She pleaded guilty to the charge in February, and was found guilty under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Act of 2004.
When she arrived in court, Mathabatha was accompanied by an entourage of seven, including a member of the metro police and SAPS officers.
She was quickly whisked away with a head wrap over her face before speeding off, avoiding the media.
Also attending the court case was Road Traffic Management Corporation spokesperson Simon Zwane, who said they wanted justice to prevail.
“She has been found guilty of contravening section 34 of the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act of 2004,” said Zwane.
Under the act, “any person who gives or accepts or offers to give or accept any gratification amounting to an unauthorised or improper inducement to act or not to act in a particular manner is guilty of an offence”.
Zwane said the outcome served to show that there were consequences for people who solicited bribes.