Twelve Limpopo vehicle examiners and administration clerks are set to appear before the Polokwane commercial crimes court on Thursday on multiple counts of fraud related to the issuing of roadworthy certificates.
“The suspects were arrested in different locations after a lengthy investigation by the Road Traffic Management Corporation's national traffic anti-corruption. unit and the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations (the Hawks),” said spokesperson Simon Zwane.
The officials, who were employed by the privately-owned Polokwane Vehicle Testing Station, allegedly manipulated systems to issue roadworthy certificates for vehicles that were not physically presented to the station for testing between 2019 and 2021.
“The modus operandi allegedly involved the use of the identity document of an innocent person to create an impression that he had presented the vehicles at the testing station for roadworthy tests to be conducted. Test sheets would allegedly be filled out as if the vehicles were tested when in fact they were not.”
The RTMC welcomed the arrests, saying unroadworthy vehicles are a major contributory factor to road crashes, injuries, and fatalities.
Zwane said the ratio of road fatalities per 100,000 people in South Africa is 20.5.
“The alleged conduct of these suspects undermines national efforts to make South African roads safer.”
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Roadworthy certificate fraud: 12 officials nabbed
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Twelve Limpopo vehicle examiners and administration clerks are set to appear before the Polokwane commercial crimes court on Thursday on multiple counts of fraud related to the issuing of roadworthy certificates.
“The suspects were arrested in different locations after a lengthy investigation by the Road Traffic Management Corporation's national traffic anti-corruption. unit and the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations (the Hawks),” said spokesperson Simon Zwane.
The officials, who were employed by the privately-owned Polokwane Vehicle Testing Station, allegedly manipulated systems to issue roadworthy certificates for vehicles that were not physically presented to the station for testing between 2019 and 2021.
“The modus operandi allegedly involved the use of the identity document of an innocent person to create an impression that he had presented the vehicles at the testing station for roadworthy tests to be conducted. Test sheets would allegedly be filled out as if the vehicles were tested when in fact they were not.”
The RTMC welcomed the arrests, saying unroadworthy vehicles are a major contributory factor to road crashes, injuries, and fatalities.
Zwane said the ratio of road fatalities per 100,000 people in South Africa is 20.5.
“The alleged conduct of these suspects undermines national efforts to make South African roads safer.”
TimesLIVE
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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