Traffic department not defined by ‘bad apples’, Duma says

KwaZulu-Natal Transport MEC Siboniso Duma has defended ethical officials in the traffic department, while warning that those who assist motorists in fraudulently obtaining learner’s or driver’s licences will be caught. The department is in the process of reviewing driving and testing centres across the province to root out officers, candidates, and driving schools who have acted unlawfully. On Wednesday morning, the Department of Transport posted a video on its Facebook page showing officers reviewing footage of a testing room for learner’s licences.

The footage showed an examiner signalling which answers were correct to an applicant. While committing to sharing the names and even, in some cases, images of the culprits, Duma said that he knows of countless examiners who do their jobs with ethics and compassion. A few bad apples must not define our driving licence testing centres (DLTCs) as there are, for example, examiners who seek to reassure the stressed young people who come to them, eager to become motorists.” He said the operations to uncover the rogue officials are being done through efforts by various law-enforcement agencies, including the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), and the National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit (NTACU).

“There are officials who are under investigation and who will be sentenced in connection with fraud and bribery. There are court dates set for hearings. These will be published to demonstrate transparency,” Duma said. He added that investigations have uncovered a number of examiners taking bribes to pass applicants without proper testing, and that all tests are now being audited as a result.