A traffic officer and a driving school instructor from the Free State were sentenced in the Vrede Magistrate’s Court on charges of corruption.
Driving school instructor, Doctor Moloi, 30, and traffic officer employed as an examiner, Sipho Malinga, 45, were convicted of the charges on the same day.
The provincial spokesperson for the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as Hawks) Warrant Officer Fikiswa Matoti said members of the Hawks’ Serious Corruption Investigation team based in Bethlehem received information about corrupt activities involving the duo.
“The police followed up on the information and, during October 2022 and November 2022, an operation was set up which led to a confirmation that Moloi would scout individuals who were in need of learner's licenses and hand over their details to Malinga to ensure they pass their tests at a fee,” Matoti said.
Warrants of arrest were issued for Moloi and Malinga on June 22, 2023.
They were subsequently arrested on July 4, 2023, and appeared in court on the same day.
In their first court appearance, they were granted R2,000 bail each.
In sentencing, the court ordered Moloi to pay a fine of R12,000 or serve five years in prison.
Half of the sentence was suspended for a period of three years on the condition he is not found guilty of the same offence during the suspension period.
Moloi was further ordered to pay R2,000 into the Criminal Assets Recovery Account (Cara) and he was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Malinga was ordered to pay a R11,600 fine or serve six years imprisonment.
Half of his sentence was suspended for five years on the condition he is not found guilty of the same offence during the suspension period.
He was ordered to pay R2,200 to the Cara and was declared unfit to possess a firearm.
Similar incidents have been uncovered at other testing centres across the country, which places citizens at risk on the road since these license-holders have not been properly assessed.