‘No cold drink money’: Lady who filmed a metro cop ‘extorting’ her did it for social media content – TMPD boss

‘The officer actually did something good, assisting somebody when she needed assistance.’

Tshwane Metro Police Department (TMPD) boss Yolande Faro says a woman believed to have been extorted by a traffic cop and captured in a viral video, has dismissed claims of bribery.

Earlier this week, a video showing a metro cop transporting a woman to withdraw cash went viral on social media, and TMPD investigated a case of alleged bribery. 

“When you get to the ATM, I want you to take out the money. Don’t even take five minutes at the ATM,” the officer was heard saying in the video.

Faro, speaking to the media at the TMPD festive season operations launch on Thursday in Pretoria, said the woman told the department during the investigation she was not being extorted.  “The complainant gave a statement to say it was not extortion. She was actually stuck and needed to stop the metro police to assist her to take her to an ATM to withdraw money for the tow truck driver. She even made a video which I am in possession of,” she said.

Faro said the woman told the TMPD she was a content creator and allegedly made the video for social content. “I even got statements from her, where she said it was not extortion. She did it for content, and so, in fact, that allegation is false,” she said Faro.

Despite the complainant’s retraction, Faro emphasised the TMPD would continue to thoroughly investigate the matter. “We will definitely look into the matter and we do not rule out that cases may be registered against the alleged complainant,” she said.

“The officer actually did something good, assisting somebody when she needed assistance and wanted now to have content and make sure that it goes on social media. It makes us furious because instead of investigating other crime allegations, whether it’s minor ones, I had to now put a lot of resources in this complaint.”

The incident was initially reported as a case of extortion ,and the officer was given 48 hours to provide reasons why he should not be suspended.

Faro said the TMPD took allegations of extortion very seriously.  “First of all, when I get any complaint of extortion, I deal with it,” she said, confirming that the officer and his partner had been served with pre-suspension notices while an investigation continues.

“We do not allow officers to extort any member of the public, and it must be reported so we can deal with it decisively like we did now,” said Faro.

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