KZN Learner Drivers Get Convicted For Bribing Assessors. The project has led to the arrests of 15 people.
Five people who applied for learner’s licences in KwaZulu-Natal have been given choices to either be sentenced to five years each or each pay R5000 fines. This is after the applicants have acknowledged that they have bribed licence assessors in a bid to get their licences illegally. The sentence was given to them by the Durban Commercial Crimes Court this week.
“The five were arrested at uMngeni Licensing Office in Howick last year as part of a anti-corruption crackdown by the anti-corruption unit of the Road Traffic Management Corporation and the Hawks,” says the RTMC spokeperson Simon Zwane.
The project has led to the arrests of 15 people. 6 officials and 9 applicants were arrested. According to Zwane, a driving school operator, who reportedly enabled the illegal exchange, was apprehended two weeks ago. The instructor is due in court by April. The case against the remaining four suspects was postponed till 24 April.
“This should send a message to the public that crime does not pay, says RTMC’s CEO, advocate Makhosini Msibi. He added that the incident would increase the attempts to improve safety and decrease fatal events in the coming Easter holidays. Advocate Msibi says this is a triumph in the fight against fraud.
by Alexandra Ramaite
