At least two Gauteng vehicle testing centres that were closed down last year after allegations of huge roadworthy certificate fraud are open for business again.
Now questions have been raised in Parliament about just what happened to the investigation.
In December, authorities swooped in to close down four testing centres in Gauteng - Auto Test Centre in Germiston, Test Well Testing Station in Alberton, Hamberg Testing Station in Meyersdal and Lenasia Vehicle Testing Station - and arrested 13 people.
The crackdown followed an investigation which found that Gauteng testing centres were allegedly illegally certifying up to four KwaZulu-Natal taxis a day - a fraud that had apparently migrated from KwaZulu-Natal to Gauteng.
But on Wednesday we found that at least two of the centres were up and running again.
And Gauteng authorities have not responded to requests for an explanation about what happened to the investigation.
On Tuesday, the DA asked in Parliament what had happened to the investigation.
DA MP Ian Ollis said during the debate on the transport budget vote: “A private company, AST Africa, was appointed to conduct an investigation, and they produced a report with photographic evidence, copies of fake documentation, and studies of individual test stations, and concluded that many tens of thousands of fake roadworthy certificates are being issued by vehicle testing centres, particularly in Gauteng.
“Now here is the question, Minister.”
“why, after only a few arrests, were AST’s investigation cancelled, the National Task Team shut down and this report covered up?
“Many of these testing centres continue to operate and tens of thousands of vehicles are on our roads right now with fake roadworthy certificates.”
After the matter was raised in Parliament, The Star asked Gauteng authorities what had happened to the investigation.
The Gauteng Department of Community Safety, which had announced the arrests and testing centre closures in December, declined to comment and passed the matter to the Gauteng Department of Transport, which did not respond to queries.
The national Department of Transport did not respond either.
On Wednesday we visited the Test Well station in Alberton and Auto Test Centre in Germiston and found both were operating. Staff declined to comment.
Ollis told Parliament about some of what was in the investigation report.
“On payment of about R1500, fake roadworthy certificates are being issued, without the vehicle even being presented for inspection,” he said.
Ollis also referred to a “trap” vehicle, pictured in the report, which was “clearly a burnt-out wreck”, which got a certificate of roadworthiness and a legal weighbridge certificate issued by a centre still operating in Gauteng. - The Star