 
MEDIA STATEMENT
VEHICLE CLONING ON THE DECREASEKwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Safety and Security Mr. Bheki Cele has congratulated officials from the Transport Department and SAPS in the province for the successes achieved with regard to crimes committed in respect of duplicated vehicle records and cloned motor vehicles. Cele has vowed to intensify the clamp down on fraud and corruption relating to vehicle and driver licensing. "I want to warn both government officials and members of the public ranging from clerks to test station owners, law enforcement officers and owners of driving schools that those who are involved in fraudulent and unlawful activities will be arrested and prosecuted. We will also work together with the Justice Department to ensure that the harshest punishment is meted out to these criminals," Cele said. Since 2002 more than 260 cases relating to duplicated vehicle records/cloned vehicles have been solved in KZN as a result of improved co-operation and coordination between the Department of Transport and SAPS. Innocent vehicle owners’ records from the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS) are being "stolen" and used to register and license stolen motor vehicles. The perpetrators responsible for stealing motor vehicles obtain duplicate registration/deregistration certificates fraudulently from the various registering authorities, often using false documentation such as false identity documents, which are then used to register and license the stolen vehicles onto the "buyers" names. The innocent vehicle owner only becomes aware of this when he/she attempts to renew their annual vehicle licence. Often the buyer of the stolen vehicle has no idea that they have bought a "stolen" vehicle until an investigation is initiated and which only occurs when the legitimate owner of the original vehicle record contacts the Transport Department. The Transport Department blocked the issue of fraudulent duplicate registration/ deregistration certificates by implementing stringent control measures for all applications received for duplicate registration/ deregistration certificates. This measure, as well as improved investigation techniques by the SAPS of all possible cloned vehicles, has resulted in a dramatic drop in the number of new cases being received. With the establishment of a Vehicle Record Verification Section (RVS) by the Department of Transport to monitor and try and eradicate this problem, these cases are expected to decrease even more substantially.
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