Two nabbed for declaring truck roadworthy an hour before it failed spot inspection

Two roadworthy testing station officials were arrested after they allegedly overlooked vehicle defects and issued fraudulent roadworthy certificates in Cape Town in exchange for backhanders, the Hawks said on Tuesday.

Hawks spokesperson Captain Philani Nkwalase said the unit and the Western Cape department of transport and public works arrested the two at a roadworthy testing station in Philippi on Monday.

Aged 20, and 30, the two are expected to appear in the Athlone Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on charges of fraud and corruption.

The bust came after a routine check on a truck in Somerset West in May which failed an on-the-spot inspection an hour after passing at a private testing station.

The Hawks’ further investigations found another eight vehicles which had allegedly been given the all-clear without actually meeting requirements from June 2018 to July 2019.

“They need to ensure that they comply with the rules,” said Nkwalase.

“They must test the vehicle and make sure that it does not pose any risk, and that it is roadworthy to drive on a public road.”

Nkwalase said some companies who did not want their trucks off the road and out of operation just for the regular test required looked for shortcuts.

Over the Easter long weekend of April 18 to April 22, 162 people died in crashes.

During that period of roadblocks and traffic control, 139 drivers were caught driving without operating permits; 29 without drivers’ licences and 22 with false documentation, according to the Arrive Alive campaign.

A burst tyre was cited as the cause of an accident in numerous cases.

Private testing stations were introduced to cope with the vast numbers of vehicles that needed to be inspected and registered.

However, in June, the Road Traffic Management Corporation closed two private testing stations in Gauteng for allegedly providing roadworthy certificates for vehicles that did not even make it to the centre.

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