An administration clerk who sold learner’s licenses for R1,000 has been sentenced to four years behind bars.
Xolani Simelane was convicted on 48 counts of corruption in the Durban Magistrate’s Court, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (known as the Hawks) said.
Provincial Hawks spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Simphiwe Mhlongo said during the period between 2012 and 2013, Simelane was employed as an Administration Clerk at Abaqulusi Municipality.
“He was responsible for learner’s license bookings in the traffic department.
“Simelane accepted gratifications of up to R1,000 from the applicants in order to issue them with learner’s licenses without writing a test,” he said.
Mhlongo said a case of corruption was reported at Vryheid police station and the case docket was allocated to Hawks members from Durban Serious Commercial Crime Investigation.
“He was arrested and charged for 48 counts of corruption in 2013 and he appeared in court several times until he was convicted on June 23.”
Explaining the sentence, Mhlongo said the court sentenced Simelane to six years imprisonment, “of which two years is suspended for five years, on condition that he is not convicted of the same offence during the period of suspension. The effective jail term is four year.”
In an unrelated incident, nine Oudtshoorn traffic department employees, as well as the owner and employees of a driving school in the region, were arrested for allegedly selling driving licences in February last year.
IOL News