Hawks arrest Cape Town driving-test officials on bribery charges

Six officials and a security guard have been arrested for allegedly accepting bribes at the Khayelitsha driving-licence testing centre in Cape Town.

The Hawks, who conducted the raid, said the seven suspects were believed to be part of a larger syndicate. They would appear in court soon on charges of fraud and corruption.

JP Smith, Cape Town mayoral committee member for safety and security, said an internal disciplinary process against the officials would run in parallel with the  criminal investigation.

"The staff members will be served with pre-suspension notices once they have appeared in court," said Smith.

"The city extends its appreciation to the Hawks for their investigation, which has spanned a considerable period.

"We have zero tolerance to staff misconduct and thank the Hawks for helping the city  to run a clean administration."

Staff were being reallocated from other testing centres and the Khayelitsha centre would reopen on Thursday, the city said.