The officers, Tsoanyane Martha Retselisitswe (known as Mamoruti) and her colleague, Letebele Rampai, were arrested on 26 April 2021 and accused of soliciting bribes from motorists.

Machini Matlou, Tsoenyane's Legal Aid SA representative in Bloemfontein, says the charges against the duo were dropped in terms of section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act, which states that "If at the close of the case for the prosecution at any trial, the court thinks that there is no evidence that the accused committed the offence referred to in the charge or any offence of which he may be convicted on the charge, it may return a verdict of not guilty. If the application of the provisions of S174 favours the accused, then they are discharged from prosecution without having to testify. "

Matlou welcomed the judgement and expressed his satisfaction following the outcome of the case. 

"We are glad Mamoruti has been acquitted, found not guilty and discharged in terms of section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Act. In essence, what this means is that she will now be able to put this incident behind her. It has been a difficult period for Mamoruti, and it is always regrettable when a client has to go through such a process, particularly having been arrested and detained for days," said Matlou. 

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He adds that his client now has to work hard towards rebuilding her reputation, which has been damaged.

"Being arrested  and detained for days has definitely caused severe trauma and public humiliation. I believe that with the lack of evidence in place and during trial, the police and NPA ought not to have arrested, detained and prosecuted them," he concludes.

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