A 41-year-old male funeral parlour driver has been arrested for attempting to bribe a traffic officer on the N2, near Makhanda, on Sunday, February 23.
Eastern Cape Department of Transport spokesperson, Unathi Binqose, said the hearse was ferrying a body from Peddie to Gqeberha and was stopped in a random stop-and-check operation.
He added, “The officer then noticed that the bakkie had three occupants in the front seat — the driver and two passengers — when it’s designed for only one passenger.”
He further added that the driver then offered a bribe to the officer, saying she must buy herself a drink, as is the culture with officers.
“He was immediately placed under arrest for attempting to bribe an officer, and the two passengers, who turned out to be hitchhikers, were allowed to proceed with their journey while the owner of the funeral parlour was summoned to come and fetch the hearse,” he reported.
Binqose stated that the driver is set to appear in court tomorrow, February 25.
