The Makhado Municipality has launched an internal investigation following the arrest of a former and a current municipal traffic officer, both accused of involvement in alleged taxi-permit fraud.
Jan Zitha (65), a former chief traffic officer from Bungeni, and Gushile William Mathonsi (55), a traffic officer from Waterval, were arrested by the Hawks' Serious Corruption Investigation Unit on Friday, 18 July. They appeared in the Louis Trichardt Magistrate's Court on Monday, 21 July, facing charges of fraud, corruption and defeating the ends of justice. Both were released on R3,000 bail.
Municipal spokesperson Mpho Rathando confirmed on Wednesday, 30 July, that the municipality was aware of the arrests. "We are currently investigating the matter internally to establish the facts and determine appropriate action, in line with municipal policies and labour laws. At this stage, we cannot confirm whether any prior complaints were formally lodged as this forms part of our internal review," said Rathando.
He added that internal control measures existed within the traffic department to curb fraud and that these would be reviewed further to address any gaps.
The arrests follow a Hawks investigation into alleged offences committed between 2016 and 2018. According to Hawks spokesperson W/O Lethunya Muroa, the two officers allegedly solicited payments from taxi operators, promising to issue operating permits.
"The complainants paid R108,610 but never received any permits. After several failed attempts to recover their money, they reported the matter," said Muroa.
He said the investigation had gained momentum only after the victims had approached the Hawks' corruption unit and urged other taxi operators to follow proper channels and report suspicious activity.
"Departments should also conduct regular checks — had this been done, the fraud could have been detected earlier," Muroa said, adding that further arrests have not been ruled out.
The case has been postponed to 3 September for further investigation.