Pretoria - An investigation has uncovered a total of 4 912 fraudulent transactions at driving licence testing centres in Gauteng.
The transactions were conducted between January 2008 and March 2016 and had a combined value of about R39 million, but it could be more.
According to Road Traffic Management Corporation chief executive, advocate Makhosini Msibi, the actual total amount that relates to the fees dumping and fraudulent transactions was R1.4 billion. He couldn’t elaborate on the matter as it was sub judice.
Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo said further investigations would be required to get to the bottom of these fraudulent activities.
He was presenting the findings of an investigation conducted by a private company on all driving licence testing centres in Gauteng.
The probe uncovered serious corruption and fraudulent activities by officials and outside intermediaries.
The department sought the assistance of the office of Premier David Makhura to appoint Ligwa Consulting to lead the forensic investigation into drivers at testing centres.
The investigations were effected after the hard lockdown when testing centres were beginning to open to the public through an innovative online booking system that would address a backlog of expired licences and simultaneously keep people safe by avoiding crowds and queues.
There was a massive public outcry about acts of corruption by officials and “runners” who manipulated the online booking system for personal profit, resulting in members of the public struggling to book appointments to renew their licences. People complained that slots were not available and they had to pay bribes to get appointments.
Seeking to address the problem, the department decided to look beyond just the online booking system and investigate all testing centres holistically to improve operations at Gauteng testing centres.
Mamabolo said the introduction of the online booking system created new opportunities for “runners”, who acted as intermediaries to profit from the system.
The system introduced a lucrative revenue stream for “runners”, funded by members of the public who were battling to secure slots online.
Moreover, investigators carried out a lifestyle audit which identified 13 officials whose assets were not commensurate with their salaries. This was due to their failure to provide supporting information such as bank statements to justify assets.
Mamabolo said: “This also revealed that some officials have multiple streams of income that were not declared to the employer, contravening the law.”
However, the corruption and fraudulent activities were not just being committed from the inside. There is a serious problem with the production of fraudulent eye test certificates using registered optometrists’ details and the sale of these to members of the public by “runners”.
Some of the acts that need to be eradicated include officials employed at registration authorities offering preferential services to those who did not want to stand in queues in exchange for a fee. Mamabolo said there was also “a number of officials linked to or owning driving schools”.
“They, however, do not own these in their own names but rather work through family members and acquaintances, thus removing any direct link, be it on paper or flow of funds. A number of these offered a “guaranteed pass” where applicants did not have to do any studying or test.”
In some cases motorists allegedly, actively, colluded with officials to avoid paying arrears owed by transferring ownership of motor vehicles to deceased persons, shelf entities, or even random individuals.
Mamabolo said: “In dealing with these matters expeditiously and efficiently, the department intends to follow through to bring the investigations to finality.”
Investigators have recommended the finalisation of disciplinary action against all departmental officials involved in processing vehicle ownership without first recovering arrears owing by the previous owners.
It also advised that the department should consider fee recovery of arrears that were not charged upon change of ownership prior to August 2016.
“I am in support of law-enforcement agencies getting involved and ensuring that all forms of fraud and corruption are rooted out of the department,” said Mamabolo.
Pretoria News