Business Day investigation exposes SA's massive illegal number plate crisis

This article was first published by Business Day.Key topics:Black market illegal number plates enable fast cloning, undermine systemFake plates aid crime, complicate policing and vehicle tracking effortsManufacturers face scrutiny as Competition Commission probes supply chain.By Kabelo Khumalo.South Africa is facing a new security and law enforcement crisis caused by a proliferation of illegal number plates sold without proof of vehicle ownership or registration.The sales are undermining the integrity of the country’s vehicle registration system.A Business Day investigation has found that procuring or cloning number plates on South Africa’s black market can take as little as 20 minutes, depending on demand.To test the ease with which motorists can obtain number plates from unregistered operators, the publication visited three Joburg businesses — Lehang Graphic & Car Accessories, Green X Number Plates and Ken 24 Graphics.It found that all one needed to do to obtain plates at all three establishments was to write down the required number plate details on a piece of paper — opening the door to possible cloning.Two of the entities, Green X and Ken 24, are located within 150m of each other..Read more:.CAPEXIT party exposes alleged illegal development destroying Botmaskop Nature Area.When confronted with evidence of its alleged illegal trade in number plates and possible illegal possession of embossing equipment, Green X declined to comment. Ken 24 and Lehang could not be reached for comment after visits to their establishments to buy alleged illegal plates as part of the news-gathering process.Business Day lingered at the establishments post-purchase, and the investigator could see several people coming in and leaving after completing purchases.Number plate embossing machines and blank plates in the wrong hands present a daunting challenge to law-abiding citizens and law enforcement agencies.Criminal evasionAnd for criminal elements in society who don’t want to be linked to crime scenes, this has presented fertile ground to lead police on wild-goose chases — with the possibility of resources being wasted to track nonexistent number plates or cloned plates.At the heart of the issue are the blank plates from the country’s only three manufacturers of number plates and embossing machines: Uniplate, New Number Plate Requisites (NNPR), and Unique Number Plates, which make their way to the black market.Uniplate, a subsidiary of German vehicle identification and registration company Tönnjes Card International, said it does not know how its blank plates make their way to illegal embossers — underlining the Achilles heel in the system.“Legal embossers have been through a thorough vetting process by SABS and are then registered both with SABS and the relevant department of transport (DoT). The embossers have their own unique SABS number, which is affixed to the embossed plates by means of a sticker. Our sales team are required to sell blanks to embossers only after verifying their registration,” the company said.“We do not sell to unauthorised embossers and, in fact, report any such embossers to the DoT should we come across them. The system, though, is imperfect, and a legal embosser can sell blanks to third parties, as there is no control on such transactions.”NNPR and Unique Number Plates did not respond to a request for comment.Legal embossers are required to comply with strict regulatory requirements, including obtaining and maintaining SABS certification, keeping detailed records, verifying customer documentation and paying substantial annual compliance fees..Read more:.Empowering provinces to fight crime: Invoking the doctrine of necessity for policing devolution - Joan Swart.Jan de Lange, president of the Licence Plate Association of South Africa (Laza), said the three manufacturers must be held accountable, as legal embossers country-wide are being overrun by the black market.“Laza estimates that as many as 40% of embossers operating in the market may be doing so illegally, creating a significant threat to public safety and legitimate businesses,” De Lange said.‘Significant threat’“The unlawful trade in number plates, blank plates and embossing equipment has become one of the most significant threats facing compliant embossers and small businesses across the country.“The problem extends beyond unfair competition. Illegal number plates can undermine vehicle identification systems, complicate law-enforcement investigations and create opportunities for vehicle-related crime.“Greater attention should be given to those supplying blank plates and embossing equipment to unregistered operators.”Laza has identified KwaZulu-Natal as another hot spot for the proliferation of illegal number plates.Cars are heavily involved in criminal activities as tools to facilitate offences such as drug trafficking and smuggling and getaways from crime scenes. Tracking a car to a crime via its number plates should be as good as having someone’s DNA at a crime scene.De Lange shared numerous red flags with Business Day, stretching over more than five years, in which Laza sounded the alarm about the illegal trade in number plates and the role played by the three manufacturers. To date, De Lange has not had any joy from the revelations.However, De Lange’s concerns have received the attention of DA legislators Toby Chance and Mlondi Mdluli.Chance, the party’s spokesperson on trade, industry & competition, called on minister of trade, industry & competition Parks Tau, transport minister Barbara Creecy and acting police minister Firoz Cachalia to intervene in their respective roles to put a stop to the illegal trade in number plates.“There is clearly little or no co-ordination between them or their departments to deal with price-fixing, the supply of embossing machines to illegal embossers, the use of illegal certification marks, and the manufacture of tens of thousands of illegal number plates,” Chance said.“Ministers Tau, Creecy and acting minister Cachalia must urgently set up a ministerial task team to ensure co-ordinated action, including provincial authorities with responsibility for enforcement.“The safety of all road users is at stake, as are all South Africans vulnerable to criminals escaping justice because they cannot be tracked or traced by law enforcement agencies or CCTV infrastructure.”The police said the department of transport is better positioned to respond to questions Business Day had on the impact illegal numbers have on investigations. The department did not respond to questions..Read more:.South Africa’s crime intelligence scandal deepens: Nepotism and cover-up allegations expose systemic corruption.With scrutiny likely to fall on Unique Number Plates, NNPR and Uniplate over how their number plate blanks end up in the black market, the companies are also taking heat from the Competition Commission.The watchdog is seeking to dock the three companies 10% of their annual revenue after it found the companies entered into an agreement and/or engaged in a concerted practice to fix prices and trading conditions for the supply of number plate blanks to, among others, embossers.The matter is before the Competition Tribunal for prosecution..This article was first published by Business Day and is republished with permission..Sign up for your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider to keep you up to speed with the content that matters. The newsletter will land in your inbox every morning on weekdays. 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Business Day investigation exposes SA's massive illegal number plate crisis

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