The DA in Limpopo welcomes the arrests by the Directorate of Priority Crime Investigation, the Hawks, of seven traffic officials for fraud and corruption related to the issuing of drivers’ licences.
In 2025,11 officials at the Lephalale traffic department were arrested for similar offences.
The illegal issuing of drivers’ licences is widespread and poses a huge risk to all road users. Since 2017, a number of officials in Limpopo have been arrested for alleged corruption at the traffic departments in Thohoyandou, Nkowankowa and Marble Hall.
During August 2024 a Limpopo examiner was arrested by the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s (RTMC) National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit (NTACU) at Lebowakgomo Licencing Centre for allegedly assisting four applicants to obtain learners licences without being tested.
In November 2024 during a massive licence fraud crackdown nationwide, the RTMC in partnership with various law enforcement agencies, tracked down and arrested dozens of suspects linked to fraudulent licencing activities as part of an ongoing operation on illegal vehicle and drivers’ licences.
According to recent reports, the South African fiscus is losing significant sums due to fraudulent drivers’ licences. The RTMC stated that the cost of fraudulent licence discs alone exceeds R2.1 billion.
These financial losses contribute to road safety issues as vehicles with falsified discs may be unroadworthy.
During the December 2024/2025 Festive season in Limpopo, 180 fatalities from 140 fatal crashes were reported. Although the accidents decreased from the previous year, 422 accidents and 181 fatalities, the death on our roads remains unacceptable high.
All road users must have a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption by traffic officials; we urge the public to report any suspected acts of fraud, corruption, or malfeasance by traffic officials to ntacu@rtmc.co.za or via WhatsApp at 083 293 7989.