Mpumalanga was the worst offender accounting for almost 65% of the recovered funds, with R6.9 million owed by a mining giant.
Thousands of licences have been cancelled and millions recovered by a Special Investigating Unit (SIU) investigation into the vehicle and driver’s licensing system.
The SIU was tasked in 2017 with investigating corruption in the transport sector, predominantly within the electronic national administration traffic information system (eNatis) system and the issuing of driver’s licences and vehicle registrations.
The investigation has so far recovered R14.7 million from six provinces, with R9.5 million coming from Mpumalanga alone.
Roughly 190 500 driver’s licences issued under the names of deceased individuals have been cancelled, with 151 officials facing either disciplinary measures or criminal cases.
R16.7 in corrupt transactions
SIU investigators found that eNatis was abused by officials who exploited a lack of controls to manipulate documents, alter vehicle weights, and change vehicle statuses.
Officials were found to be transferring outstanding fees and penalties owed by connected individuals to the accounts of deceased motorists or random members of the public.
Transgressors were mainly heavy motor vehicle owners, and officials were also found to be misreporting cash records, failing to report daily reconciliations, and producing unverified revenue statements.
Additionally, foreign licenses were converted using unverified documents, with the SIU and the Department of Transport (DoT) having since cancelled these licences.
“The SIU investigated the diversion of project funds and identified irregular expenditures totalling R16.7 million.
“This led to the successful recovery of R14.7 million, which is now being returned to the departments,” confirmed SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago on Wednesday.
R6.9 million from mining giant
Limpopo, Free State and KwaZulu-Natal incurred comparatively minor losses with R17 000, R60 0000 and R65 000 returned, respectively.
The Eastern Cape will receive R306 000 in recovered funds, while Gauteng’s losses recovered stand at R4.7 million.
Mpumalanga’s R9.5 million in recovered losses comes in the form of a hefty chunk already paid by a mining giant.
“After sifting through the eNatis data, the SIU established that the DoT is owed the sum of R 6.9 million in respect of the trucks and smaller vehicles owned by Optimum Coal Mine,” stated Kganyago.
“Optimum Coal Mine has settled its outstanding motor licensing fees and penalties for the period between January 2018 and November 2022 with a payment of over R6.9 million.”
Linking to Home Affairs suggested
In addition to the cancellation of the licences registered to the deceased, 73 officials are facing disciplinary action, and 78 officials have been referred to the National Prosecuting Authority.
The SIU also made several recommendations to increase compliance and improve data cross-checking.
“Substantial reforms include linking the eNatis system directly to the Department of Home Affairs and the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office database for real-time document verification.
“Amendments to the National Road Traffic Act are suggested to clarify the responsibilities of company proxies and representatives,” Kganyago concluded.
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