When is a bribe not a bribe?

When it is a ‘gift’… unless you want to call a spade a spade, in which case it is the same thing.

Here’s a notice posted on the Department of Home Affairs web site:

Say NO

Which brings us to the story of Home Affairs data capturer Ms Mathato Mokhele, who was fired in 2007 for accepting a packet of Marie biscuits as a ‘gift,’ and has since being pursuing legal avenues in an attempt to have her dismissal overturned… and been soundly rebuffed at every step of the way.

The gory details are here: A bribe is a bribe….

Curiously, although the biscuits are described as a ‘gift’ implying no quid pro quo, she did admit to taking presents from funeral parlours and marriage officers to prioritise their paperwork…