Lephalale: Four people have been arrested for allegedly issuing driving licences fraudulently in Lephalale, Limpopo. The arrests were made by the anti-corruption wing of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) and the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigations, commonly known as the Hawks.
According to South African Government News Agency, the arrests followed three major operations conducted at the Lephalale, Thabazimbi, and Bela-Bela driving licence testing stations, where 23 suspects had been apprehended in February this year. Among those re-arrested was an examiner of licences who had been part of the initial group of 23 suspects. This examiner was previously caught processing applications for learner licences and declaring the applicants competent despite their absence from the class.
The four suspects, including the examiner, a former examiner, and two driving school operators, appeared in the Lephalale Magistrate’s Court facing fraud and corruption charges. They were granted bail ranging from R3,000 to R8,000 and are scheduled to appear in court again on June 8, 2025. Investigations are ongoing to identify all applicants who benefited from the corrupt practices at the three testing stations.
In a related incident, a Tshwane Metro Police official, Danny Malesela Mokoka, was sentenced to 36 months imprisonment or an R8,000 fine by the Pretoria Magistrate’s Court. This followed a plea bargain where Mokoka admitted to soliciting and accepting a R50 bribe in 2017.
RTMC CEO Advocate Makhosini Msibi expressed approval of the arrests and encouraged the public to report fraud and corruption. Bribery and corruption related to traffic policing and driving licence matters can be reported anonymously via email to [email protected] or through WhatsApp at 083 293 7989.