Johannesburg - A heavy goods truck owner was arrested on Thursday for using illegal vehicles in the South of Johannesburg, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said.
The Anti-Corruption Unit arrested the director of container logistics company in Alberton North for alleged fraud relating to the cloning of three heavy goods vehicles, as well as misrepresentation, spokesman Simon Zwane said.
“After receiving a formal complaint about the operators illicit activities, the members of the Anti-Corruption Unit conducted an operation closer to the accused's premises without raising any suspicion,” he said.
Zwane said the vehicles owned by the suspect were stopped by the unit and upon inspection it was discovered that the vehicles were deregistered. “One unlicensed, and the other tampered with. All the vehicles owned by the suspect, were being operated on the public road whilst having duplicated number plates and license discs from Mpumalanga Province.”
The suspect was alleged to have conspired with his business partner who was also a suspect to obtain the duplicates, Zwane said. The suspect was arrested is to face charges of fraud and the trucks were impounded. The suspect will appear in court soon to apply for bail.
The Road Traffic Management Corporation welcomed the arrest and pointed out that this would lead to improved safety on the roads. “Un-roadworthy vehicles are one of the key vehicles that contribute to the unacceptable crashes on the roads. The RTMC warns heavy vehicle operators that it will not tolerate unscrupulous conduct as it leads to avoidable deaths on the roads,” RTMC CEO Makhosini Msibi said.
ANA