A 34-year-old Zimbabwean immigration officer at the Beit Bridge Border Post appeared in court for allegedly demanding a R200 bribe from four undocumented travellers who intended to cross into South Africa illegally.

Ian Muhwati of Cashel Valley pleaded not guilty to a bribery charge when he appeared before Magistrate Gloria Takundwa.

The case was postponed to 23 January and Muhwati was granted bail of US$100. He was ordered to stay at his given address as well and not to interfere with ongoing police investigations.

The prosecutor, Mr Jabulani Mberesi, said that on 4 January at around 15:00, Muhwati, who had been deployed to the Beit Bridge Border Post to complement the local immigration staff during the festive period, was manning the southern exit gate when he intercepted a South African-registered vehicle with four undocumented passengers.

The court heard that on discovering that the passengers did not have passports, Muhwati allegedly demanded a R200 bribe from the driver, Durity Themba Ndlovu, before releasing the vehicle.

The vehicle was later stopped by alert police officers who were on a routine border surveillance, leading to the discovery of the four undocumented occupants. Further investigations by the police revealed that Muhwati had allegedly accepted a bribe from the undocumented travellers before allowing them to proceed and he was arrested and the bribery money was also recovered.