Efforts by the Hawks, the City’s Anti-Corruption Unit and Mayor Herman Mashaba to root out corruption at licensing deparments have revealed that about R15 million has been lost and 1 000 fraudulent transactions have taken place since January 2008.
Mashaba said on 10 January that 106 officials would be arrested and suspended with immediate effect, ‘pending swift disciplinary processes by the City’.
At the Randburg Licensing Department, 37 transactions have amounted to a loss of more than R380 000 since 2008. The Roodepoort department lost R1.3 million through 84 transactions. And 202 transactions at the Sandton department resulted in a loss of R3.8 million.
Shadrack Sibiya, who leads the unit, was appointed by Mashaba in November last year to investigate the matter. “[They] form part of a planned strike against criminal syndicates and corrupt licensing officials in the City who have been operating licensing scams,” said Mashaba.
“These syndicates colluded with certain licensing officials to perform illegal transactions on the licensing computer system.”
The fraudulent transactions included motorists who illegally obtained driving and disc licences, and registered vehicles.
Mashaba said, “Licensing officials would then pocket cash that would ordinarily have been paid to the City and utilised for much-needed service delivery,” he said.
Working closely with the Hawks, police, Metro police and residents, the war on corruption would continue. “I have initiated a number of forensic investigations, many of which have found wrongdoing, and cases are nearing [completion]. We are working closely with the police and National Prosecuting Authority, and there will be many more arrests made in the coming weeks and months.”
