The trial of the commander of the SAPS Benoni Academy in Northmead, who is accused of cheating on his learner’s licence test, continued in the Benoni Magistrate’s Court on January 21.

Proceedings resumed after lunch and continued late into the afternoon.

A 52-year-old state witness, a former examiner and subordinate of the accused, took the stand for cross-examination by the defence.

The commander faces charges of fraud, the unauthorised issuance of a learner driver’s licence, and the issuance of a learner driver’s licence to a person who was not a member of a state department.

According to court records, in March 2016, the commander allegedly misrepresented himself to the SAPS Benoni Academy by claiming he had passed a motorcycle learner driver’s licence test when he had, in fact, failed.

It is further alleged that he instructed an examiner, who was his subordinate, to take a blank test paper, write the correct answers on it, mark the test and file it as though he had completed and passed it.

Also Read: SAPS commander goes to court over fraud

Between September 2017 and January 2019, the accused allegedly instructed certain academy members to issue a learner’s driving licence to another person in the same manner. That individual was reportedly not a SAPS member, but the son of a SAPS general.

During proceedings, it emerged that the witness made a statement to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID) on March 12, 2019.
The defence read portions of the statement into the record.

In the statement, the witness said she went to the colonel’s office and began marking his test script. She then informed him that he had failed and would need to rebook to rewrite the test the following week.

According to the statement, the colonel allegedly told her she could not instruct him to rebook and directed her to alter the figures on the script to make it appear as though he had passed.

He allegedly warned her that if she allowed him to fail, she would never receive a promotion at the SAPS academy.

The witness said that, out of shock and fear, she wrote in figures to indicate a pass.
She added that she later realised the alteration could be detected during inspection, as the answers clearly reflected a fail despite the adjusted marks.

This was when he allegedly suggested that he be given a new script to rewrite immediately.
Under cross-examination, the defence attorney asked whether she had realised he failed before changing the marks.

She replied that after placing the scoring stencil over the answers and counting the marks, she could see they did not add up to a pass.
The attorney also questioned whether it was her decision to provide another answer sheet.

She said they both agreed it would be better than altering the original script, but denied that it was her idea alone.
The defence further highlighted an apparent contradiction between her earlier testimony, in which she said she was not threatened, and her IPID statement, in which she said she acted out of fear.

The witness explained that she did indeed state in the statement that she was scared because she feared she would not be appointed to a post for which she had previously applied and been interviewed.

She was also questioned about removing the colonel’s original test form from the office after it was discovered that he had failed.
The defence argued that the document was SAPS property and should have been filed and archived. The witness said she took it, intending to discard it at home.

Regarding the second answer sheet, the witness testified that the colonel filled it in himself. When asked whether she assisted him, she said she provided him with a scoring stencil to copy.

The trial was postponed to March 9, when the witness is expected to conclude her cross-examination.

Also Read: SAPS commander goes to court over fraud