Three people, including a Department of Health official, were arrested for allegedly extorting R10 000 from a contractor before he could access a building site.
Hawks spokesperson Captain Ndivhuwo Mulamu said their serious corruption division in Silverton and Crime Intelligence set a trap for the three, after receiving a complaint.
"They allegedly demanded an amount of R10 000 from a prominent businessman based in Pretoria, in order for him to complete his construction project at the Department of Health site in Temba," added Mulamu.
"A swift response from the investigation team resulted in the apprehension of the trio at [the] Temba Service Centre yesterday. Police recovered the R10 000 entrapment money in cash."
Lucky Molefe, 37, an information officer from the department, Thato Maphutha, 34, and Tebogo Sidwell Matjila, 44, appeared in the Temba Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
They were granted bail of R20 000 each and will return to court on 29 July.