He told the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport last week that police officers turned a blind eye to corruption even when they actually witnessed it. At VID corruption takes the form of defective vehicles being issued with certificates of fitness while incompetent drivers pay kickbacks to get certificates of competence.
Inspectors demand an average $250 bribe to issue a certificate of competence to an undeserving aspiring driver, while over $500 is the fee for a bus and truck certificate of fitness to be issued through the back door.
“The shoddy deals take place under the noses of the law enforcement agents,” Pedzapasi told inquisitive law makers. He also blamed police for allowing defective government vehicles to pass through roadblocks without being inspected.
According to Pedzapasi, all vehicles on the road are subject to fitness inspections regardless of who owns them, “but police make government vehicles immune to objectives of roadblocks.” VID has 23 depots across the country manned by vehicle inspectors and police officers.
MPs arliament quizzed Pedzapasi on what measures his department was taking to eliminate corruption. He said the organisation adopted internal investigative strategies and dozens of corrupt VID officers had been dismissed.
Observers say VID has too few officers to cope with the rising number of aspiring drivers and the ever increasing volume of vehicles. There are currently 169 inspectors throughout the country instead of the required 315 – with each inspecting an average of 22 vehicles per day. The world standard is no more than 12.
Post published in: News