Tshwarelo Hunter Mogakane
Pretoria - Five former traffic officials have been arrested after a four-year Hawks investigation revealed that they had defrauded the Mpumalanga provincial government of R60 million in deposits meant for the reissuing of new vehicle licence discs.
According to Hawks provincial spokesperson Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi, the five were arrested on Monday on charges of fraud, theft and money laundering.
"It is alleged that during December 2018 information was received by the Hawks from the Special Investigation Unit about the employees who were extending the expired vehicle discs on behalf of vehicle owners.
"During the investigation, it was established that the former employees of the Department of Community Safety colluded with the owners after they saw an opportunity arising from trucks owing large amounts of money.
"The officials would manipulate the system and extend the expiration dates of the vehicle licence discs while reissuing new ones that showed zero balance. The truck owners would pay the money meant for the department to the employees to benefit themselves, which is called money dumping. This amounted to R60 million," said Sekgotodi.
The suspects include Thembi Millicent Motlohi (43), Allman Thabani Masuku (35), Xoliswa Celia Ngcekwane (52), Nompulelo Winnie Nxumalo (44), Agnes Nosipho Ndzinisa (54) and Mbombela Registry authority Nkosinathi Samuel Gumede (37).
"These suspects were arrested by the Hawks Nelspruit-based Serious Commercial Crime Investigation in a joint operation with Road Traffic Management Corporation, National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit and Special Investigation Unit.
"They appeared before the Nelspruit Commercial Crime Court on Monday, July 18 2022 and they were released on R15 000 bail each and the case was postponed to September 29 2022 for further investigation. More arrests are imminent," said Sekgotodi.
Hawks provincial head, Major General Zodwa Mokoena, applauded the collaboration of the investigators who cracked the case.
Pretoria News