520 vehicles bought from a syndicate seized from members of the public, 91 of them compacted in Grahamstown

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) and the South African Police Service (SAPS) will this week destroy scores of illegally imported vehicles that were fraudulently registered on the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS).

This followed a joint operation conducted by the RTMC’s National Anti-Corruption Unit, the SAPS Eastern Cape Anti-Corruption Unit, Special Investigative Unit, SAPS Vehicle Safety Storage Unit, SAPS Crime Intelligence Unit and the National Prosecution Authority in 2017.

The operation was launched following months of investigation and analysis of data on the NaTIS system revealing a pattern of how vehicles were fraudulently registered onto the system by the Eastern Cape Department of Transport Help Desk.

This led to the impoundment of 520 vehicles and the arrest of 17 suspects including members of the SAPS, Department of Transport officials, and foreign nationals who are suspected to be kingpins behind the syndicate.

Investigations revealed that the vehicles in question were all illegally imported vehicles, predominantly from Japan. They were prohibited for use in South Africa as they were meant to be in transit for export to other parts of the continent. These vehicles were sold at a reduced price, prompting criminal syndicates and unscrupulous officials to bypass the system to register them illegally using the following modus operandi:

An applicant (who is also a member of the syndicate) would approach an official from Komga Registering Authority to initiate the introduction of the vehicle into the system

Two SAPS VSS members would issue fraudulent police clearances for the vehicles

Roadworthy centres would fraudulently issue certificates of roadworthiness

The vehicles would then be registered onto the system by three specific officials from the Eastern Cape Helpdesk.

During the investigation, vehicles illegally purchased from the syndicate were seized from members of the public together with documents from the Helpdesk, Komga Registering Authority, SAPS VSS and roadworthy centres.

Out of the 520 vehicles, 91 were confirmed to be illegal vehicles using fraudulent license discs purporting to be from neighbouring countries such as Malawi. Some of the vehicles used false registration plates from Cape Town and KZN as a way of misleading traffic officers into believing that the vehicles were of South African origin.

The 17 suspects who were arrested on the 3rd and 4th July 2019 are facing the following charges:

Forgery

Money laundering

Common law Fraud

Corruption

Selling of Illicit Goods

Contravention of the Customs & Excise Act, 61of 1964 Act, and

Contravention of the National Road Traffic Act, Act 93 of 1996, (section 67: furnishing of false information & section 68: unlawfully registering of vehicles).

They were released on R2000 bail each, pending the finalisation of further investigations.

A total of 91 of the seized vehicles will be compacted everyday this week in Grahamstown under the supervision of the SAPS.

Source: Government of South Africa