Johannesburg - Four Ekurhuleni Metro officials aged between 37 and 44 years are expected to appear in court on Thursday on allegations that they conspired with motorists to defraud the State hundreds of thousands of rands in motor vehicle licence fees, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said.
This comes after three females and a male employed at the Benoni Licencing Department, were arrested in a joint swoop conducted by the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit in collaboration with the South African Police Service Gauteng Special Projects Unit, Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department’s Compliance and Monitoring Unit and the Gauteng Traffic Compliance Unit.
"Allegations against the four are that they colluded with motorists to clear outstanding vehicle licence fees and penalties by irregularly registering vehicles in the names of unsuspecting individuals or deceased persons and then re-registering same vehicles in the name of the original owner," RMTC said.
RMTC said in this way fees payable by the original owner were dumped on the unsuspecting individual or deceased person and the officials would receive a bribe for conducting these fictitious transactions.
"It is believed that the state loses millions of Rands annually in licence fees and penalties through this unethical conduct," RMTC said.
The arrests followed months of investigation in which the transactions conducted by the four suspects were carefully analysed. Suspected transactions include mainly the registration of light passengers and heavy load vehicles.
Investigations were continuing and the RTMC urged members of the public who have information about this unlawfully practice and any other corrupt activity in traffic law enforcement to call 0861 400 800 to report. All information provided will be treated as strictly confidential