Examiners and cashiers: Eight Limpopo accused in court over cash-for-driver’s licence scheme - IOL

Eight appear in court over alleged Limpopo ‘cash-for-driver’s licence’ scheme.

Eight people accused of being involved in an alleged “cash-for-driver’s licence” corruption scheme at the Marble Hall Driving Licence Testing Centre in Limpopo appeared before the Groblersdal Magistrate’s Court on Monday.

The accused appeared following a joint operation involving the Special Investigating Unit (SIU), South African Police Service (SAPS) Crime Intelligence and the Sekhukhune District Tactical Investigating team.

The operation resulted in four arrests on Friday, while another four suspects subsequently handed themselves over to police.

According to SIU spokesperson Selby Makgotho, the accused are facing charges of fraud and corruption.

The accused are: Linah Mabitshela, 53, a cashier and NaTIS officer; Collen Lwazi Mtshali, 57, who is alleged to have acted as a runner; Ephraim Mocheko, 62, a traffic examiner for driving licences and NaTIS officer; Dina Makena, 49, a cashier and NaTIS officer; Mpho April Aphane, 43, a driving school owner; Petrus Herman Raga, 48, a management representative and examiner of vehicles and driving licences, as well as a NaTIS officer; Selemogae Molepo, 63, a cashier and NaTIS officer; and Leuba Monama, 63, a cashier and NaTIS officer.

The arrests form part of an investigation into allegations that motorists were able to obtain or facilitate driving licences through the payment of bribes at the testing centre.

The court appearance follows arrests made on Friday as part of the investigation.

Three of the suspects arrested during the operation were cashiers at the Marble Hall Driving Licence Testing Centre.

Earlier, IOL reposted that investigators allegedly recovered R5,300 from three cashiers, with some of the money allegedly found concealed in underwear.

A separate arrest involved a KwaZulu-Natal man who was allegedly linked to the same “cash-for-driver’s licence” scheme in Limpopo.

The SIU said the matter was postponed to September 21, 2026, for address verification and checks to establish whether the accused have any previous or current criminal records.

All eight accused will remain in custody until their next court appearance, when their bail applications are expected to be heard.