‘Abnormal’ vehicle license triggers scam alarms

A vehicle owner contacted the DA’s Shadow MMC for Public Safety, Michael Sun, after renewing his vehicle license at a post office and being issued with a license disc which is only valid for 11 months.

Relaying the incident, Sun said when the vehicle owner enquired about the validity period of the license disc with post office staff, he was told the post office was merely an operating agent and it could not address the matter.

He was advised to resolve his query at the licensing department, where he was informed that the issuing of the 11 month disc license was “correct” but no further explanation was provided, Sun said.

However, Sun described the license renewal as abnormal, saying that according to the legal requirement, each renewal was valid for at least 12 months.

Sun questioned whether the incident was the product of a possible scam.

According to Section 26 (1) of the National Road Traffic Act of 1996, subject to sub regulation (2), a motor vehicle licence and licence disc shall be valid for a period of 12 months from the first day of the month in which such licence and licence disc were issued and the date of expiry of such licence shall be shown on the motor vehicle licence and licence disc.

“(2) In the case where the owner applies for a licence as contemplated in regulation 30(2) before the expiry date of such licence and licence disc, the period of validity of the new licence and licence disc so applied for shall be calculated from the first day of the month which follows on the expiry date of the current licence and licence disc,” the act further stated.

“If this is indeed the practice by the licensing authority, it would mean that for an average R700 annual disc license fee, the licensing department would have defrauded the vehicle owner of R58.33 for the one short-changed month,” Sun said.

“If one has regards to the number of vehicles that are renewed on a daily basis, the amount will be astronomical.”

Thabo Rangwaga, spokesperson for Sello Lemao MMC for Public Safety, said in terms of the road traffic act; a license must be valid for 12 months and not 11.

“This case must therefore be treated with the level of alarm it raises and if we can be furnished with the necessary tangible evidence in this regard; we will be glad to assist with conclusive investigation,” he said.