'I didn't plan to give up on my dream for R1,500'

When a truck driver offered her a bribe, she was not about to turn her back on what she had worked for. Estelle Ellis spoke to Celiné Milborrow in KwaNojoli

- Estelle Ellis

Celiné Milborrow (21), originally from Alexandria in the Eastern Cape and now living in KwaNojoli (formerly Somerset East), had a dream to be able to save lives.

So when the opportunity arose to become a traffic officer, she thought this would be her chance, as she had seen what lawlessness on the roads could do. She was chosen for the Department of Transport's trainee programme and has been working as a rookie traffic officer for the past six months.

"On the day I saw the advertisement that they were recruiting for traffic officials, I applied immediately," she said. She then successfully completed her training and was posted on the N10, where one of her jobs is to do vehicle inspections.

She is serious and meticulous, speaking in clipped tones when she tells of the incident. In general, she explains, the morning starts with some administrative work and then she and her colleagues head out to the N10 where they inspect vehicles, among other tasks.