Vadi wields axe against corruption
Gauteng is to reinstate traffic fines and licence fees against thousands of motorists who bribed officials to clear them, as the province moves to suspend and prosecute hundreds of employees at licensing and testing centres.
Gauteng MEC for roads and transport Ismail Vadi conceded on Thursday that a two-year investigation pointed to syndicated crime at provincial and municipal licensing centres.
As many as 500 officials could be involved, as well as 5,500 motorists and businesses, Vadi said.
“Protracted investigations have revealed that this is an elaborate syndicated scam involving identified government employees, private individuals, transport companies, used-car dealerships, vehicle registration companies, operators and selected businesses,” Vadi said.
A total of 19 officials would be suspended and prosecuted at various centres in the near future, and another 394 might face prosecution for transactions projected to have cost the province R42m.
However, the number of officials involved is unclear because of the possibility that “ghost workers” may have been created to perpetuate the fraud.
The fraudulent issuance of roadworthy certificates and driving licences would also be investigated, he said. But establishing whether driving licences were issued fraudulently would be difficult to prove.
The investigation has revealed that officials were bribed to shift traffic fines to other road users — in most cases these were found to be deceased — to allow motorists to renew their vehicle licences.
The City of Johannesburg is conducting its own crackdown on fraud at registration centres.
Mayor Herman Mashaba said on Thursday that the city, whose crackdown has resulted in 15 officials being arrested and 72 others being suspended, was pursuing another 100 staff who were suspected of corruption.
Transport Minister Dipuo Peters said in January that the department would pursue corrupt officials and motorists who had fraudulent driving licences.
Automobile Association (AA) spokesman Layton Beard said that while identifying and prosecuting officials and those with fraudulent driving licences was complex, it should begin.
The AA welcomed the arrest of officials, but said authorities should go further. “Incompetent drivers and unroadworthy vehicles are major contributors to deaths on our roads and the licensing staff are only part of that problem,” the AA said.