In a major crackdown on fraud and corruption in the transport sector, 60 people have been arrested and two privately owned vehicle testing centres shut down since the beginning of the year.
It’s part of a joint operation by the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s (RTMC) National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit, the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Department of Transport.
RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said the unit had been established after it had emerged last year that several unroadworthy trucks and private vehicles had been stopped but had been in possession of recent roadworthy certificates.
Last month Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Ismail Vadi, shut down the Soweto-based Innovation Testing Centre and the Pretoria-based Hercules Vehicle Testing Centre.
“Vehicles that are not roadworthy contribute to the high accident rates and fatalities on our roads. Testing stations that issue fraudulent roadworthy certificates are complicit in this regard,’’ said Vadi.
Zwane told FTW that further fraudulent testing stations had been discovered, with four employees of a private station appearing in the Johannesburg Commercial Court last week on charges of issuing fake roadworthy certificates.
“We expect more testing centres to be shut down soon. But it’s not just issuing of fraudulent certificates, our investigations have led to the arrest of over 60 drivers, SAPS members and metro traffic cops for bribery and corruption,” he said.
Zwane could not comment on whether corruption had intensified over the years. He said that there was no benchmark for this.
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The anti-corruption unit was set up after unroadworthy vehicles were found to be in possession of recent roadworthy certificates. – Simon Zwane
