SA: Zim national sentenced to 5 years in jail over R50 bribe

By Agencies

SOUTH AFRICA: A foreign national from Zimbabwe was sentenced to five years of direct imprisonment this week after he bribed officials at the Beitbridge Border Post in Musina.

A spokesperson for the National Prosecuting Authority in Limpopo Mashudu Malabi-Dzhangi says 37-year-old Felix Chiyongwa entered the country on the 5th of October when he was approached by two officials who wanted to see his passport.

She says he presented an expired passport from 2020 and offered them R50 not to arrest him.

Malabi-Dzhangi says the Giyani Specialised Commercial Crimes Court sentenced him to pay a fine of R50 000 or serve five years in prison for corruption with an additional fine of R5 000 or one year for being in the country illegally.

She says the sentences will run concurrently, resulting in an effective sentence of five years direct imprisonment.

During sentencing, Senior State Advocate Martin Molokwane addressed the court, presenting various case laws to advocate for a substantial sentence.

He underscored the prevalence of corruption within the court’s jurisdiction and throughout South Africa, remarking that it poses a direct threat to public safety and trust in law enforcement.

Advocate Molokwane further argued that corruption was a serious offence regardless of the amount involved.

Malabi-Dzhangi says the court ultimately agreed, reflecting the necessity of sending a clear message to society about the consequences of corrupt practices.