The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RMTC) has welcomed the cancellation of registration and permanent closure of two vehicle testing stations in Gauteng following allegations of fraud and corruption.
The Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport has issued notices of cancellation of registration for Orlando Testing Station based in Soweto and Viking Testing Station based in Devland.
The deregistration of the stations was a culmination of investigations and arrests of three motor vehicle examiners and a clerk by the RTMC’s National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit last year.
“An examiner and a clerk from Viking testing station were arrested on allegations that they had fraudulently certified an Opel Corsa bakkie to be roadworthy whereas the vehicle was never presented for a roadworthy test and was not in a roadworthy condition to be certified as such,” the RMTC said in a statement on Monday.
The agency said the two examiners were arrested at Orlando testing station following allegations that they had used identity numbers of innocent people as if they had presented about 54 vehicles for roadworthy tests whereas these people were unaware of the tests and did not physically present the vehicles and the vehicles were not tested.
The department found that the owners of the stations had contravened Regulation 137 (a) (b) and (c) of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996.
“It also found that the station proprietors have not submitted any evidence to prove that they did not connive or permit the non-compliance of the law and are therefore ‘deemed to have committed the non-compliance and liable to be convicted and sentenced in terms of Regulation 137B (1) of the Act’,” the RMTC said.
The RTMC said it felt vindicated by the decision to cancel the registration of the stations and permanently close them down.
“The Corporation remains committed to ensuring that all factors that contribute to fatal crashes on South African roads are addressed and that all those engaging in activities intended to undermine the law are brought to book,” the agency added.
The RMTC urged the public to be involved in the drive to fight bribery, fraud and corruption relating the issuing of driver’s licences and vehicle roadworthy certificates by contacting the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit 0861 400 800 on or email ntacu@rtmc.co.za. – SAnews.gov.za