Couple among those nabbed for fake roadworthy certificate scam

One of the four suspects nabbed on Thursday for allegedly using the documents of dead people to issue roadworthy certificates is the wife of a man recently arrested for issuing fraudulent roadworthy certificates‚ the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has revealed.

The suspects - Sarah Molatedi‚ Evald Tladi‚ Elijah Moroke and Thomas Ramadula - briefly appeared in the Temba Magistrate’s Court on Thursday facing 121 charges of fraud and corruption‚ said RTMC spokesperson‚ Simon Zwane.

Two of the four private examiners at Greenpeace roadworthy testing station in Hammanskraal‚ north of Pretoria‚ were arrested on Friday and spent Christmas behind bars after an investigation into the scam.

The other two‚ who were not at work during the raid‚ handed themselves over to police on Thursday.

Zwane‚ said Molatedi was the wife to Papi Molatedi‚ one of the four suspects arrested more than a week ago for allegedly using the identity document of a 64-year-old bedridden man to issue hundreds of fraudulent roadworthy certificates at the Clayville private roadworthy testing centre near Olifantsfontein.

“We have to find these vehicles because they pose a danger to other road users as they were never examined‚” he said. “We have identified these vehicles and they will be deregistered.”

Zwane said Thursday’s arrests‚ through a joint operation involving the RTMC’s national traffic anti-corruption unit‚ the South African Police Services’ organised crime unit and Gauteng traffic’s compliance unit‚ brought the total number of arrests in connection with the scam to 28 since the start of the festive season.

Twenty suspects‚ including traffic officers‚ driving licence examiners and private citizens‚ were arrested in Limpopo two weeks ago.

"All suspects are out on bail. Investigations are continuing and vehicles concerned will be de-registered and owners will be called to account‚" Zwane said.

The four suspects arrested in the Hammanskraal raid were released on R2 000 bail each and are expected back in court on January 21.