Outa finds widespread corruption in car roadworthiness testing

“We trust that they will expedite investigations into this matter, since it could have profound implications for road safety, given the critical role roadworthy inspections play in preventing accidents and fatalities on South Africa’s roads,” said Heyneke.

Perpetrators include private business owners and public officials with financial interests in the testing stations, he added.

“South Africa’s road safety crisis has reached alarming levels, with fatal crashes costing the country an estimated R186.5bn annually. Unroadworthy vehicles are a significant contributor to this deadly trend, and the transport ministry’s December 2024 Road Safety Report revealed 16,527 vehicles were found to be unroadworthy and were issued traffic fines,” he said.

Outa raised concerns about the integrity of the testing process and the potential for fraud and corruption within the system. It said vehicles that failed roadworthiness tests in Gauteng were issued valid roadworthy certificates on the same day at another testing station, often situated in Limpopo or North West. In several cases, the vehicles in question were probably never physically inspected.

It added that vehicle testing stations in multiple provinces issue roadworthy certificates without mandatory inspections, possibly in exchange for bribes.

“A network of testing station owners, including public officials, has been identified as part of this scheme. Some testing stations are linked to owners of vehicle fleets.”

Heyneke says Outa is concerned that the owners of transport companies responsible for the transportation of passengers could possibly “inspect” their own vehicles and issue roadworthy certificates when the vehicles are not roadworthy.