Forged licence scam prompts call for driver verification

Special unit investigates foreign truckers
LEONARD NEILL
A FLOOD OF forged foreign heavy duty driving licences carried by vehicle drivers in South Africa has prompted the Department of Transport to call on transport operators to have all new employees' licences verified by a reputable company.
These forged licences are converted into South African licences in the normal manner without local authorities realising they are fraudulent. But despite strong policing in this regard, the system is threatening to spiral out of control.
“Once the fraud situation came to our attention, we demanded that a letter from the foreign licensing authority be issued to verify the validity of the licence,” says Wendy Watson, general manager of the Transport Department’s Land Transportation Regulation section.
“What has now become clear is that these letters are also being forged. Quite possibly by the same people who forge the licences in the first instance.”
This, says Watson, is creating massive problems within the department and with transport authorities throughout the country. Now the national Special Investigations Unit has 75 investigators working around the clock in an effort to get to the root of the problem.
Drivers operating with forged licences as well as many who are unlicensed but drive transport vehicles of varying sizes are considered to be the cause of a vast majority of accidents in the country. Watson is satisfied, however, that the investigation unit is achieving success and will bring the guilty parties to court.
The call has now gone out to employers to ensure they employ drivers with valid licences and permits. They're also advised to have all new employees submit their licences for verification by a reputable verification company.