Staff Reporter
A senior traffic officer at Maluti-A-Phofung Local Municipality has been sentenced to six months in jail or a fine of R5 000 for defeating the administration of justice after protecting a relative caught speeding from arrest five years ago.
The Phuthaditjhaba Magistrates Court heard that on May 26, 2015 a brother-in-law of Mampena Betty Ramosoala — who was the chief traffic officer for Maluti-A-Phofung — was stopped by traffic police for driving at an excessive speed.
The brother-in-law was driving with his wife he was stopped.
And while the traffic officers were in the process of effecting an arrest on him, his wife contacted Ramosoala who immediately went to the scene fully dressed in her uniform.
National Prosecuting Authority regional spokesperson Phaladi Shuping said in a statement, upon arrival at the scene, Ramosoala, 51, called her brother-in-law and his wife aside and instructed them to leave the scene.
This, according to Shuping, made it impossible for the traffic officers to arrest her brother-in-law.
“The traffic officers who were effecting the arrest were subordinates of Ramosoala,” Shuping said.
“The officers went to the police station to lay a criminal charge of defeating the administration of justice against Ramosoala and she was thereafter arrested,” he added.
State prosecutor Keiso Leballo argued in aggravation that Ramosoala regarded herself as someone above the law because she impeded her juniors from executing their duties.
“The accused got a call from her sister and rushed to the scene with a purpose of protecting her family member from the law,” Leballo said.
“As chief of traffic and somebody who has been working for the department for 29 years, she ought to have known better but instead she misused her powers and protected a road traffic offender.
“She was a bad example to her juniors.”
Magistrate Elizabeth Stander concurred with the state and concluded that the accused should be punished for her acts and sentenced her to a fine of R5 000 or to undergo six months’ imprisonment.