fraudulent driver's licence
Office found guilty and charged for issuing fraudulent South African driver’s licence. Image: File/Fotor Image: File

Home » SA official found guilty for issuing fraudulent driver’s licence

SA official found guilty for issuing fraudulent driver’s licence

An official has been found guilty and charged after issuing a fraudulent South African driver’s licence to a citizen who didn’t even take a test.

By Ray Leathern
15-04-24 13:50
in News
fraudulent driver's licence
Office found guilty and charged for issuing fraudulent South African driver’s licence. Image: File/Fotor Image: File

An official has been found guilty and charged after issuing a fraudulent South African driver’s licence to a citizen who didn’t even take a test. IOL reports, the former examiner was sentenced in the eMalahleni Regional Court on charges of fraud.

Information was received and investigated by the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (aka the Hawks) in Mpumalanga. This led to the arrest of Christoffel Fick (64) after an undercover operation. “It was discovered that applicants were never tested and still issued with a licence to drive a vehicle,” said the Hawks’ Captain Dineo Lucy Sekgotodi. The examiner was confronted and arrested, before appearing in court and being released on bail.

FRAUDULENT SOUTH AFRICA DRIVER’S LICENCE

Issuance of fraudulent driver’s licences is not a victimless crime in Mzansi. Image: File

18-months imprisonment was the term for issuing a fraudulent South African driver’s licence. However, it was suspended for five years, on condition Fick is not convicted of fraud again during the period of suspension, confirmed the Hawks. The investigating unit welcomed the stern warning to officials who do not perform their duties with integrity and honesty. “No one is above the law. And the Hawks will investigate all priority crimes and bring perpetrators thereof to justice,” said Sekgotodi.

Moreover, a fraudulent South African driver’s licence is no victimless crime. According to the AA, 12 436 people die on South African roads each year. That’s 34 people every day. That’s more than one per hour, every hour. A root cause of this is people driving on the road that have not earned the right to, which endangers not just their lives but the lives of countless others.

GREED OF OFFICIALS

Officials can make well over R6 000 per day issuing fraudulent South African driver’s licences, say the Hawks. Image: File

Moreover, what motivates officials who have permanent jobs to behave so unscrupulously? The Hawks say officials can pocket upwards of R6 000 per day, tax-free. So, you can imagine the temptation to issue a fraudulent South African driver’s licence to someone who wouldn’t otherwise pass the test.

NEXT READ: EcoFlow launches River 2 Pro portable power station in South Africa

Tags: drivers licence featured fraud HNelnny Important