‘I didn’t plan to give up on my dream for R1,500’ — brave Eastern Cape traffic cop has no truck with bribes

Celiné Milborrow (21), originally from Alexandria in the Eastern Cape and now living in KwaNojoli (formerly Somerset East), had a dream to be able to save lives.

So when the opportunity arose to become a traffic officer, she thought this would be her chance, because she had seen what lawlessness on the roads could do. She was chosen for the Department of Transport’s trainee programme and has been working as a rookie traffic officer for the past six months.

“On the day I saw the advertisement that they were recruiting for traffic officials, I applied immediately,” she said. She then successfully completed her training and was posted on the N10, where one of her jobs is to do vehicle inspections.

She is serious and meticulous, speaking in clipped tones when she recalls the incident. In general, she explains, the morning starts with some administrative work and then she and her colleagues head out to the N10 where they inspect vehicles, among other tasks.

Roadblocks on this road are one of the measures implemented to mitigate potential dangers posed by heavy traffic that is caused by the manganese carriers on their way to Nelson Mandela Bay, from where manganese is exported.

Milborrow explained that she and some of her colleagues were working on the N10 doing vehicle inspections when they pulled the truck over. “We don’t work alone, we work together,” she said.

The truck, a manganese carrier coming from the Northern Cape, was deemed a moving hazard. It had various defects, ranging from a loose steering rack to loose wiring in the cabin and tyres that were in a poor condition.

It was clear to her that the condition of the truck violated several road rules.

“I was speaking to the driver when he told me I must not bother writing up a summons,” she said. “He then offered me R1,500.”

She immediately turned him down and, when she arrested him, he offered her money again.

“I am an ethical person,” she said. “And I didn’t plan to give up on my dream for a bribe,” Milborrow added.

Eastern Cape Department of Transport spokesperson Unathi Binqose confirmed that Milborrow had arrested the driver.

The truck was registered in the Northern Cape and was in a dangerous condition. Binqose confirmed that it was a manganese carrier.

Eastern Cape transport MEC Xolile Nqatha applauded the officer for her “act of bravery and absolute patriotism”, putting public safety over personal gain.

He said her actions would save lives.

“The N10 road has seen a lot of crashes involving trucks with defects like this one, not only claiming lives, but also resulting in lengthy road closures,” Binqose said.

Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy said in January, when releasing the data on road safety during the festive season, that there was an “appalling lack of respect” for traffic laws on South African roads.

“To give you a sense of the appalling lack of respect for the traffic laws, I want to share a few important numbers which will help all of us to better understand the very serious problem we are dealing with.

“Our law enforcement officers issued 711,184 fines for various traffic offences across the country. Some 23,607 fines were issued to drivers who failed to wear seatbelts, while another 16,925 motorists were fined for using cellphones while driving.

“Then, 16,527 vehicles were found to be unroadworthy and issued with traffic fines as well as having their motor vehicle licence discs removed, particularly in areas where vehicles could not be impounded due to lack of impoundment facilities.

“It must, however, be emphasised that in total, 48,917 motor vehicles were impounded in areas where facilities were available,” Creecy said. DM

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.