Polokwane – The 12 arrested vehicle examiners and administration clerks are set to appear before the Polokwane Commercial Crimes Court in Limpopo on Thursday, (22 June 2023).
All the suspects face multiple counts of fraud related to the irregular issuing of motor vehicle road-worthy certificates.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) said the suspects were arrested at different locations following a lengthy investigation.
The joint investigation was carried out by the RTMC’s national traffic anti-corruption unit and the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations – better known as the Hawks.
It alleged that the suspects, who were employed by the privately-owned Polokwane Vehicle Testing Station, manipulated and abused systems to issue roadworthy certificates for vehicles that had not been tested.
The alleged offences were committed between 2019 and 2021.
The suspects covered up their irregular issue of road-worthy certificates by entering the ID numbers of people they falsely claimed brought in the vehicles to the testing station.
Test sheets would allegedly be filled as if the vehicles were tested when in fact they were not.
The RTMC said it welcomes the arrests.
Unroadworthy vehicles are a major contributory factor to road crashes, injuries, and fatalities in the country.
Last year, more than 12 400 people perished on South Africa’s roads.
