Tshwarelo Hunter Mogakane
Pretoria - Driving school owners in Mpumalanga have been invited to blow the whistle on traffic officials who demand bribes to certify that a learner driver is qualified to be on the road.
Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC Vusi Shongwe met driving school owners operating around the Mbombela Local Municipality, issuing a strong warning against their participation in corruption.
The media exposé on the corruption within testing stations tainted the image of the province, he said.
“The corruption in licensing must be rooted out because it undermines efforts to make roads safer. We must all work together to end corruption.”
Shongwe said driving schools were important because they produced trained drivers who often need a driving licence to meet job-seeking requirements. A database of all driving schools in the province must be developed and updated on a regular basis.
Shongwe cautioned driving school owners on the negative tax implications bribery money had on the ailing economy as these were never declared.
Department spokesperson Moeti Mmusi said whistle-blowing was the best way to end corruption at testing stations. “The MEC called on driving school owners to become izimpimpi (whistle-blowers) and anonymously report Driving Licence Testing Centres officials or examiners who demand bribes. “The meeting was the result of recent allegations by some driving school owners that some Nelspruit testing station officials were demanding an increase in bribes paid for the acquisition of driving licences.”
Mmusi said some driving schools owners used bribes to pay for earlier bookings at the expense of students who needed to book earlier to meet other commitments.
It was found some officials were privately running driving schools or helping others operate bogus driving schools.
“Some driving school owners told the MEC a regulatory mechanism would curb “the mushrooming of fly-by-night schools. They also apportioned corruption to some bogus driving schools allegedly owned by corrupt officials and examiners”.
Pretoria News