Durban – The board of the South African Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) has placed its registrar and CEO, Japh Chuwe, under “precautionary” suspension on Friday.
The decision to suspend Chuwe and other senior officials with immediate effect followed findings by the auditor-general (AGSA) and several whistle-blower reports of alleged maladministration, RTIA spokesperson Monde Mkalipi said on Friday.
“Having appraised itself with the AGSA findings and whistle-blower reports, a forensic investigations firm has been appointed to conduct a forensic investigation to the findings of the AGSA and whistle-blower reports,” Mkalipi said.
Mkalipi said that the RTIA board had suspended Chuwe and other implicated senior officials with full pay in order to “preserve the integrity of the investigation and maintain stakeholder confidence”.
Furthermore, Mkalipi said the RTIA wanted investigators to have “unfettered access to information”.
“Once the forensic report is rendered, the board will consider the recommendations, take legal advice thereon and then take the appropriate decision on whether there exists any merit for RTIA to proceed with disciplinary action against the registrar/chief executive officer and such other implicated senior employees,” Mkalipi said.
In the interim, advocate Mncedisi Bilikwana has been appointed as acting registrar/CEO.
Chuwe made headlines in 2017 when the agency’s annual report revealed his basic pay had increased by 93% from R1.8 million to R3.49 million.
This despite the RTIA having lost close to half of its annual revenue because municipal authorities were not issuing as many traffic fines as they did.
The RTIA is mandated to administer the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act.
African News Agency (ANA)