EASTERN CAPE - HAWKS OFFER AMNESTY TO ANYONE WHO OBTAINED THEIR LICENSES ILLEGALLY

The warning was issued yesterday by Hawks spokesman Major Robert Netshiunda in an interview with the Daily Dispatch.

See Also - TRAFFIC OFFICIALS ARRESTED FOR ISSUING FRAUDULENT LEARNERS AND DRIVERS LICENSES

He was speaking after the arrest on Tuesday of an Eastern Cape traffic chief, a traffic officer responsible for eye tests, a licence examiner, a former traffic cop accused of using “Ace Driving School” as a front to tout for the syndicate, and an Ace employee.

More arrests were expected, said Netshiunda.

Netshiunda said the syndicate was operating from the traffic departments of Adelaide, Port Alfred and Alexandria, and the money raked in came “to hundreds of thousands, and even millions of rands”.

“We have yet to determine how much but it could be as many as 10 people getting their licences fraudulently every day.”

Rough maths shows that for every R1-million earned by the syndicate, 167 untrained drivers were put on the road.

In his official statement released from Pretoria, the Hawks spokesman announced the arrest of Adelaide traffic chief Ricardo du Plooy, 46; Loyiso Goba, 43; who is the Adelaide traffic officer in charge of eye testing; Jolene Freda Ntshiza, 38; a learner’s and driver’s licence examiner; Vuyisile Mnyani, 48; a former traffic cop; and Sivuyile Tsiti, 48, who owns Ace Driving School.

“The traffic officials have [allegedly] been involved in the issuing of fraudulent learner’s and driver’s licences at a cost of R6000 each.

“The driving school owner [Mnyani] would work as a middleman who would recruit customers for the officers.

“The driving school was used to disguise the illegal activities as they did not teach their students how to drive, but arranged for them to receive fraudulent documents at a cost.”

Du Plooy and Tsiti appeared in the Bedford Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday, spent the night in jail and were due to appear again yesterday.

Mnyani was released on R6000 bail and Ntshiza released on R1000 bail.

One more suspect who evaded arrest on Tuesday is on the run, said Netshiunda.

Four vehicles were seized during the arrests.

Netshiunda said they believed the licence frauds started more than two years ago, “but it might have been going on for a long time before that”.

He said the Hawks were launching an extensive investigation into the sellers and holders of fraudulently obtained licences.

“They [drivers] got them through the backdoor. They knew it was fraud.

“Come forward now. Come clean and admit it and be a witness and we will arrange an amnesty. We are holding out a hand, but if you hold onto it [licence] we will find you.”

He said this week’s arrests were only part of a huge syndicate.

Eastern Cape police referred Dispatch queries to the Hawks.

A source in an Eastern Cape town traffic department said: “A lot of licences have been sold, and I mean a lot. They have been under investigation for more than a year.”

VIA - dispatchlive.co.za