The country reacted with shock to the news this week about the arrest of Refilwe Mahuma, a senior registry clerk at the Johannesburg high court, on suspicion of leading a syndicate that fraudulently frees convicted criminals from jail.

The country reacted with shock to the news this week about the arrest of Refilwe Mahuma, a senior registry clerk at the Johannesburg high court, on suspicion of leading a syndicate that fraudulently frees convicted criminals from jail.

Now, we hear, many other clerks at the court are scared they too might be arrested for their part in the scam.

They should be.

Only the worst form of greed can drive people to undo the hard work done by the police and the courts.

To understand the depth of these nefarious deeds, one need only consider the trauma the criminals inflict on their victims and their families.

This is especially so when one considers the high rate of repeat offenders in our country.