Cape Town - The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) has lauded the sentencing of a Villiersdorp traffic officer and two employees of a local driving school for selling learner's and driving licences.
The officer, Piet Sykes, was sentenced to 12 months in prison or a R12 000 fine, and a further five years in prison suspended for five years on condition that he is not convicted for similar crimes during that period.
Sykes’s co-accused, Vuyani Faku and Mafa Ramaola, employees of the driving school, were sentenced to six years in prison, suspended for five years.
The owner of the driving school, Ivan Basson, who was part of the scam, died before the trial started.
They were charged with corruption after police set up a trap to stop these crimes.
The NPA says an undercover agent was prepared to buy the documents and had been equipped with a hidden video device in June 2013. He was searched and no money was found on him and was given R1500 and the serial numbers of the notes were recorded and photocopied. He was told to meet Faku as he was the contact person.
NPA spokesperson Eric Ntabazalila said Faku took the money from the agent and gave him crib notes with all the answers for the test he was about to write. The agent was informed that Sykes would be informed about him and that the traffic officer would not disqualify the agent when he saw him using the crib notes.
Ntabazalila said the agent took out his crib notes and Sykes saw him but did nothing as he was aware of him. The agent finished copying his test and gave the answer sheet to Sykes. The agent was later informed that he had passed the learner’s licence test. At about 4pm, the police came to arrest all that were involved.
The marked notes were found in possession of some of the accused, while other notes were found in shops where they had already bought wares.