Polokwane: The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has welcomed the sentencing of a vehicle testing official from a private testing station who was found guilty of fraudulently issuing a vehicle roadworthy certificate. Kabelo Chilenge was sentenced in the Polokwane Magistrate’s Court to six years direct imprisonment for fraudulently issuing a vehicle roadworthy certificate for a vehicle that he did not physically examine.
According to South African Government News Agency, the certificate was issued at Quick Test vehicle testing station in Modimolle, Limpopo, in April 2022, while the vehicle in question was in a police pound at the time. Although no evidence was led to prove that Chilenge benefitted personally from the illicit transaction, the court drew inference that such conduct could not be executed without gratification.
The court noted that the accused earned a salary and there was no need for him to commit such an offence. It considered that unroadworthy vehicles cause accidents when allowed to operate on the roads, the RTMC said. The RTMC stated that the sentence was appropriate and served as a deterrent to others who are involved in such unlawful activities.