Pretoria - Two Tshwane Metro Police officers have been issued written warnings after they accepted loaves of bread as “gifts” for managing traffic and preventing looting after an Albany Bakery truck overturned on the N1 on Samrand Road on Monday morning.
A picture of the pair putting away their gifts in a metro police vehicle went viral on Monday, sparking outrage from the public.
The picture was posted on Twitter and depicts one of two female officers placing two loaves of bread into the boot of the vehicle.
Twitter users reacted with shock.
@Restrov tweeted: “Do they really get paid so poorly that they have to take bread from a crash scene”. @luckybuthelezi tweeted “hauw nkosi” (oh lord), while @TumiSeg tweeted “It’s so bad. People are truly crazy, taking loaves of Albany bread. I’m ashamed.”
However, metro police spokesman Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba said they investigated the incident and found that the supervisor from the bakery gave the officers the loaves of bread, as a token of his gratitude for their help at the scene.
“The investigation has revealed that the officers did not steal any bread from the truck. Instead, they secured the scene and ensured that the free flow of traffic was facilitated,” Mahamba said.
The department was proud of the work done by the officers as confirmed by the bakery supervisor, he said. However, the officers had committed an error by accepting the “gift” without declaring them.
“To this end the officers will be issued with first written warnings and advised not to accept ‘gifts’ without declaring them, even if it is for good work done,” Mahamba said.
Pretoria News