The Democratic Alliance (DA) in the Northern Cape welcomes the commitment from the Portfolio Committee of Transport, Safety and Liaison to hold the Department of Transport, Safety and Liaison accountable for the grave allegations levelled against the current Provincial Regulating Entity (PRE) and senior officials within the department regarding chronic and systemic fraudulent issuances of taxi operating licenses.
This comes after the DA demanded for an urgent committee meeting shortly after we received a damning report from the Public and Allied Workers Union of South Africa (PAWUSA) alleging the involvement of former and current senior public servants that are directly implicated in fraud and maladministration within the operating license unit.
These allegations involve a Hawks investigation into the fraudulent issuance of licenses, unauthorised approval of applications by PRE members, delays in processing operating license applications, revenue lost as a result of fraudulent activities, and investigations into an alleged relationship between the HODs and the PRE that created an environment for fraudulent activities to occur.
The report also highlights the failure of these senior officials to act promptly on investigative reports from whistleblowers within the department, as well as failing to implement recommendations made by the Office of the Public Protector and the Public Service Commission. We are especially concerned that this report coincides with the damning findings and recommendations relating to the issuance of 350 fraudulent taxi operating licenses by the department that were raised by these oversight bodies as far back as 2016.
To kick off Transport Month, the DA will closely monitor and demand that the portfolio committee conducts thorough oversight over the department to ensure that public servants implicated in fraud and found to have contravened section 195 of the Constitution and Regulation 17(1) of the National Land Transport Regulator, are held accountable by either being criminally charged or dismissed from the public sector.
The DA will use all the oversight mechanisms at our disposal in our pursuit to hold fraudsters accountable. We cannot turn a blind eye to shady dealings or abuse of systems meant to protect the dignity of the people of the Northern Cape.