Officials arrested for charging R2,000 for learner’s licences without any tests

Officials at the Marble Hall Driving Licence Testing Centre were arrested for a cash-for-learner’s licence scheme.

In this scheme, applicants paid R2,000 for a learner’s licence without completing the lawful testing process.

The suspects coordinated with an accomplice in Limpopo, who in turn worked with examiners at the Marble Hall testing centre to process fraudulent applications.

The syndicate facilitated bulk transactions involving between 20 and 30 learner’s licences at a time, effectively bypassing lawful licensing procedures.

The first suspect was arrested a few days ago in a joint operation between the South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence and the Special Investigating Unit (SIU).

The suspect was found in possession of several learner’s licences. The operation remained ongoing in Marble Hall, with further arrests following.

The intelligence-led operation intercepted suspects from KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo who were en route to collect illicitly issued learner’s licences.

“The investigation will continue, and criminal action will follow against any persons found to have participated in or facilitated the alleged corruption,” the SIU said.

Flip Jacobs, a councillor in the Ephraim Mogale Local Municipality, said that the arrests exposed the systemic failures at the centre.

He explained that suspicious activities started on 13 July 2026, when municipal cashiers reportedly lost access to the payment system.

Residents reported delays in the issuing of licences, which were attributed to provincial or national processing problems.

On 18 August 2026, the centre reopened but no longer accepted cash payments, restricting residents to EFT and bank card transactions.

Jacobs said that these developments do not, in themselves, prove a link between the system failures, the cashless policy, and corruption.

However, they raise questions about the circumstances surrounding these decisions and the transparency of the processes followed.

To get clarity on these issues, he will submit questions to ascertain how long the syndicate operated and how many fraudulent licences were issued.

He will also ask whether officials knew of suspicious activity, what caused the eNaTIS failures, and who authorised the move away from cash.

Other points include whether audits identified irregularities, how many officials are implicated, and which controls failed.

“The municipality wants to expand licensing services across Ephraim Mogale. This is positive, as residents deserve better access,” he said.

“However, before expanding a system plagued by serious questions, the municipality must first prove that it is clean, transparent, and properly controlled.”

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Arrest and prosecution photos

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