Officials to appear in court over license fraud

Sunday, December 9, 2018

Law enforcement officials arrested in a pre-festive season crackdown on vehicle and driver licencing anti-corruption drive are to appear in court on Monday, said the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).

The 12 officials who spent the weekend behind bars, were arrested in KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo on Friday on allegations of fraud and contraventions of the National Road Traffic Act.

Seven of the suspects are from Limpopo, while five hail from KwaZulu-Natal.

“The arrests followed raids conducted at private testing stations and a learner licence testing authority by the RTMC’s National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit jointly with the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks), the Special Investigations Unit and the KwaZulu-Natal Transport and Traffic Investigations Unit,” said RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane on Sunday.

Allegations against the Limpopo suspects, who include examiners of vehicles and a data capture, are that they issued vehicle roadworthy certificates fraudulently to vehicles that they never physically inspected.

They are expected to appear in the magistrate courts in Musina and Thohoyandou.

Meanwhile, the five officials arrested in KwaZulu-Natal will appear at the Durban Commercial Crimes Court.

The suspects include four examiners of learner licences employed in Underberg and a manager formerly employed at another learner licence centre in Howick.

It is alleged that the suspects participated in fraudulent activities by unlawfully and irregularly assisting applicants to pass their learner licence tests. Scores of documents were confiscated in Underberg and they will be subjected to further investigations.

RTMC Chief Executive Officer Advocate Makhosini Msibi has welcomed the arrests.

“Corruption within driver and vehicle licencing authorities undermines efforts made by honest men and women to reduce carnages on South African roads. We have to double our efforts and deal decisively with this scourge to restore public confidence in authorities,” he said. 

He called on members of the public to report suspected corrupt activities on 0861 400 800 or on ntacu@rtmc.co.za . – SAnews.gov.za