Traffic corporation throws Tasima under the bus

The handover of eNatis - the electronic national administration traffic information system - to the Road Traffic Management Corporation has not been smooth.

The corporation, under the Department of Transport, took over system operation from Tasima in March.

But a number Tasima service providers - cleaners, and courier and telephone companies - had not been paid in months.

Corporation spokesman Simon Zwane said Tasima signed the contracts later than November, when the Constitutional Court ruled that Tasima had to hand over to the corporation.

Tasima ran the system from its inception in 2002 and the contract was extended by five years in 2010. Tasima had wanted an indefinite extension. The court ruled that the contract expired on June 23 2015.

Zwane said the corporation had told Tasima in December that any third-party debt it incurred after that date would be for its own account.

He said the corporation had concluded agreements with some Tasima suppliers from April 5 and had told them that it would not pay for services they rendered to Tasima subsequent to the date on which the court ordered the handover.

He said most of the creditors agreed and were claiming from Tasima.

Image Two Couriers, Rohland Made and Approach Air were collectively demanding R732,306.

The eNatis system runs driver and vehicle licence applications and other traffic-related notifications to vehicle owners.

Tasima was not available for comment.