The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) and police have seized more than 500 illegally imported vehicles that were fraudulently registered on the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS).
RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said on Thursday that the vehicles had been seized during a joint operation conducted by the RTMC’s National Anti-Corruption Unit, the SA Police Service (Saps) Eastern Cape Anti-Corruption Unit, Special Investigative Unit, Saps Vehicle Safety Storage Unit, Saps Crime Intelligence Unit, and the National Prosecution Authority following an investigation launched in 2017.
“The operation was launched following months of investigation and analysis of data on the NaTIS system revealing a pattern of how vehicles were fraudulently registered onto the system by the Eastern Cape Department of Transport Help Desk,” Zwane said.
“This led to the impoundment of 520 vehicles and the arrest of 17 suspects, including members of the Saps, Department of Transport officials, and foreign nationals who are suspected to be kingpins behind the syndicate,” he said. The investigation revealed that the vehicles had been illegally imported, predominantly from Japan.
“They were prohibited for use in South Africa as they were meant to be in transit for export to other parts of the continent,” Zwane said.
The vehicles were sold at a reduced price, prompting criminal syndicates and unscrupulous officials to bypass the system to register them illegally, using the following modus operandi:
▪ An applicant (who is also a member of the syndicate) would approach an official from Komga Registering Authority to initiate the introduction of the vehicle into the system
▪ Two Saps VSS members would issue fraudulent police clearances for the vehicles
▪ Roadworthy centres would fraudulently issue certificates of roadworthiness
▪ The vehicles would then be registered onto the system by three specific officials from the Eastern Cape Helpdesk
“During the investigation, vehicles illegally purchased from the syndicate were seized from members of the public together with documents from the Helpdesk, Komga Registering Authority, Saps VSS, and roadworthy centres. Out of the 520 vehicles, 91 were confirmed to be illegal vehicles using fraudulent licence discs purporting to be from neighbouring countries such as Malawi,” Zwane said.
“Some of the vehicles used false registration plates from Cape Town and KZN as a way of misleading traffic officers into believing that the vehicles were of South African origin.”
Zwane said 17 suspects had been arrested in 2019 and charged with forgery, money laundering, common law fraud, corruption, sale of illicit goods, and
Contravention of the Customs & Excise Act, 61of 1964 Act, and Contravention of the National Road Traffic Act, Act 93 of 1996 for furnishing false information and unlawfully registering vehicles.
“They were released on R2000 bail each, pending the finalisation of further investigations. A total of 91 of the seized vehicles will be compacted every day this week in Grahamstown under the supervision of the Saps,” Zwane said.
