Cape Town - Three officials from the provincial Transport and Public Works Department are due to appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Thursday, on charges of fraud and corruption.
The three, aged 41, 45 and 46, were arrested for allegedly participating with a syndicate operating in the illegal import and distribution of “grey” vehicles.
The department’s spokesperson, Jandré Bakker, said the three were working within the Transport Administration and Licensing Unit.
“The arrests follow those of officials at the City of Cape Town, who allegedly registered and licensed the vehicles after introduction on the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS), as well as the police members who issued vehicle clearances for these vehicles,” Bakker said.
He said grey vehicles “are not meant for the South African market as they do not meet the requirements set by the National Road Traffic Act (NRTA) and the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) codes.
Bakker said the arrested officers were implicated in introducing these vehicles on NaTIS, before registration and licensing by municipal officials.
“The department has a zero-tolerance approach and we are continuing to give our full support to the police in this investigation.”
He added: “We regret that three of our staff members were allegedly involved in such conduct, but this is proof that we would not hesitate to act against anyone who make themselves guilty of such conduct.”
Police spokesperson FC Van Wyk said to participate in efforts to address the causes of crime, attentive members attached to Bellville Vehicle Crime Investigation Unit (VCIU) and Provincial Crime Intelligence arrested three employees from the Department of Transport, implicated in a syndicate, on Friday, June 19.
Van Wyk said the 41-year-old man and 46-year-old woman were arrested at their workplace at the Transport Department in Cape Town, while the 45-year-old man was arrested at his residence in Lower Crossroads.
“They were detained at Bellville police station on charges of fraud and corruption, and are due to appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Thursday,” Van Wyk said.
He said the arrests were part of an extensive investigation against 13 suspects, including police members and Cape Town Vehicle registration officials, who were due to appear in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on fraud, forgery and corruption charges.
He said the investigation continued in several other provinces to curb corruption and fraud, and more arrests could be made.
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