The Democratic Alliance in Gauteng has sounded the alarm over what it calls “corruption and rot” in the province's traffic and metro police services, after official figures revealed hundreds of complaints of fraud, corruption, extortion and theft – including an alleged R1.5 million bribe taken by a Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) official in a single day.
Michael Sun MPL, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Community Safety, said the data confirms that residents' growing distrust of law enforcement is not mere perception but a documented reality under Premier Panyaza Lesufi's leadership.
Hundreds of complaints recorded
Responding to questions from the DA, Premier Lesufi disclosed that 456 complaints of fraud, corruption, extortion and theft were recorded across Gauteng's traffic and metro police services between 2022 and 2026. The JMPD topped the list with 185 complaints, followed by the Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) with 180. The Gauteng Traffic Police (GTP) and Ekurhuleni Metro Police Department (EMPD) accounted for the remainder.
Sun described the figures as “deeply concerning”, stressing that they reflect only formally reported cases. “The actual extent of corruption may therefore be considerably higher,” he said.
Low prosecution rate raises alarm
Of those implicated, only 175 officers – or 38.3% – have been criminally charged. In a particularly damning revelation, the JMPD could not even tell the Premier how many of its own officers face criminal charges, a situation Sun said points to “a significant loss of control within the department”.
Organised extortion on the roads
The scale of the alleged graft is equally alarming. Reported bribes range from a few hundred rand to an extraordinary R1.5 million allegedly taken by a JMPD official in one day. “This is not petty corruption. This is organised extortion, operating in broad daylight, on our roads, with impunity,” Sun said.
He added that virtually no effective system of deterrence, detection or consequence appears to exist. “Corrupt officers currently face better odds of promotion than prosecution.”
DA calls for decisive action
The DA has called on Premier Lesufi to confront the crisis with decisive action, transparency and real consequences. “Residents should not be forced to choose between complying with the law and being extorted by those entrusted to enforce it,” Sun said.
The party reiterated that it will not accept corruption as the cost of doing business in Gauteng. Once in government, the DA undertakes to introduce mandatory body cameras, annual lifestyle audits and asset disclosures; establish an independent provincial anti-corruption unit; enforce time-bound referrals of corruption complaints to IPID or the SAPS; and create real-time accountability dashboards.