Independent Newspapers

Traffic police manning a roadblock. Photo: Henk Kruger

A senior official in Uitenhage's traffic department was fired on Friday after being found guilty of misconduct, a municipal spokesman said.

Dennis Januarie was found guilty on 16 charges of dishonesty, said Kupido Baron, a spokesman for the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality in the Eastern Cape.

He was found guilty of telling his staff to perform illegal transactions and for failing to perform his duties diligently, carefully, and to the best of his ability, Baron said.

Municipal safety and security standing committee chairman Wandisile Jikeka said Januarie had allowed people applying for their driver's and learner's licences not to have their eyes tested.

He also allowed the illegal conversion of foreign licences to South African licences.

Januarie had been on suspension, with seven colleagues, since December 2008. A ninth staff member was suspended later. Disciplinary action against the others had still to be concluded.

“This is part of the ANC-led Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality's stance against corrupt and fraudulent activities,” Jikeka said.

“We will continue to work towards a clean and corruption free traffic and licensing sub-directorate.”

In another case, the municipality suspended two traffic officers who crashed their patrol car while driving drunk when they were off duty but on stand-by.

Hamilton Totoyi, director of traffic and licensing for Nelson Mandela Bay, said disciplinary action against them was at an advanced stage. - Sapa