Hawks shut down private vehicle testing station in Lephalale, seven officials arrested
The arrests follow recent, similar, operations in which eight officials from the Thusalushaka Vehicle Testing Station in Musina were arrested for fraud and corruption
LIMPOPO – A sting operation by the Hawks’ serious corruption investigation unit, in collaboration with Road Traffic Management Corporation and special investigating unit, culminated in the closing down of a private vehicle testing station in Lephalale on Monday, 8 April as well as the arrest of seven officials.
Provincial spokesperson, Captain Matimba Maluleke says the arrests follow recent, similar, operations in which eight officials from the Thusalushaka Vehicle Testing Station in Musina were arrested for fraud and corruption.
Maluleke, in a statement, explained that five vehicle examiners and two clerks allegedly used the identity particulars of unsuspecting victims to issue roadworthy certificates for vehicles that were never taken to the testing station for compulsory tests.
“During the operation, computers and documents were seized,” he said.
The eight officials from the Thusalushaka Vehicle Testing Station in Musina have since been released on R1 000 bail each and the arrested suspects in this case will appear in the Lephalale Magistrates Court on Wednesday, 10 April, to face corruption and fraud charges.
Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard
