Vehicle testing station employees busted in Easter corruption crackdown
Four employees of a private vehicle testing station are to be in the Johannesburg Commercial Crimes Court this morning on charges relating to fraudulent issuing of vehicle roadworthy certificates.
The four - two men and two women aged 60, 57, 38 and 24 – were arrested by at the Lincoln Vehicle Testing Station by a team of corruption busters consisting of the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit, the South African Police and the Gauteng Traffic Police’s compliance unit. They were held in custody at the Johannesburg Central Police Station over the weekend.
The arrests followed months of investigation in which the four were observed issuing roadworthy certificates for vehicles that they were not physically presented to the station for inspection. More than 60 people, including traffic officers, SAPS members and vehicle examiners, have been arrested in different provinces on fraud and corruption charges since the start of the year.
The success of the corruption busters in investigation underhand and unacceptable conduct in vehicles testing station has led to the total shut-down of at least two privately owned testing stations.
The Department of Roads and Transport has given notice of cancelation of registration to Hercules and Innovative testing centres. The owners of these centres were ordered to hand over the certificates of registrations to the Department and cease further operation.
The owners were warned that should they continue operating, they shall be committing an offence in terms of Section 89 (1) and (6) of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act 93 of 1996).
Section 89 (6) provides that any person convicted of an offence in terms of Section (1), read with any other provisions of this Act, shall be liable to a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding one year.
Members of the public are asked to join the effort to fight corruption in the road traffic fraternity by reporting incidents of alleged bribery, fraud and corruption on: 0861 400 800.
Enquiries:
Simon Zwane:
Cell: 082 551 9892
