A total of 15 suspects appeared in the Bloemfontein Magistrates’ Court on charges of corruption, fraud and money laundering in connection with the unlawful issuing of learner’s and driving licences on Tuesday.
The suspects were arrested as part of Operation Catfish in Gauteng, Mpumalanga and the Free State.
Lt. Col Zweli Mohobeleli of the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations (Hawks), said four suspects were arrested in Bloemfontein and two in Botshabelo.
Members of the Hawks arrested three of them at the Lengau Testing and Traffic Center on Monday.
The rest were arrested in Pretoria, Phalaborwa and Mbombela (Nelspruit).
The 15 suspects who were arrested all appeared in court in Bloemfontein. They are: Tebogo Joseph Sekhosana (45), Moeketsi Patrick Hlopho (43), Xoliswa Patricia Leeuw (38), Phomolo Molefe (30), Makubeni Phillip Raisa (50), Keiketsang Joyce Diseko (56), Popi Mtsweni (37), Phaladi Comfort Pitjadi (34), Cynthia Mamokhantsi Nthako (52), Thabo Patrick Makunyane (45), Bertie Oertel Ntho (49), Alleta Nqai (52), Ditaba Johan Ngubenyathi (41), Tuelo Goodwin Setlhare (56), as well as Samuel Mokhobo (54), who handed himself over to investigators on Tuesday.
Intelligence information about unlawful activities taking place at traffic departments in Bloemfontein, Winnie Mandela Town (Brandfort), Botshabelo, Ladybrand, Phalaborwa and Mbombela was discovered.
This involved several staff members of the traffic department issuing learner’s and driving licences without proper procedure. The staff included traffic officers, as well as driving school instructors and runners, who were involved in the issuing of licences in 2022. A member of the public who had bought a licence was also arrested.
Several transactions were concluded over a period and evidence thereof has been presented before the court.
Action acainst the suspects were set in motion on Friday, when the Director of Public Prosecutions authorised warrants of arrest for 20 individuals. Early on Monday, the members of the Hawks, Tactical Response Team (TRT) and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) arrested nine men and five women at different locations.
The Free State head of the Hawks, Maj. Gen Mokgadi Bokaba, has vowed that more people will be arrested. “Members of the public who obtain licences through corrupt means are a danger to society. They shall be arrested,” she said.
Mohobeleli says members of the Hawks are hard at work looking for more suspects.
The 15 suspects were granted bail ranging between R2 000 and R5 000. The matter was postponed to 12 April for further investigation.
