A syndicate producing fraudulent roadworthy certificates in the North West and the Eastern Cape was broken on Wednesday when three of its alleged kingpins were arrested.

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), in a joint operation with the Hawks, arrested the three after swooping on a vehicle-testing station in Port Elizabeth.

The corporation said the three were allegedly part of a syndicate operating between PE and Brits that issued roadworthy certificates for vehicles that had not been physically tested. It said anti-corruption unit members had been investigating the syndicate for about six months prior to the bust.

The suspects are scheduled to be transported to Brits, where they will appear in court on Thursday. Investigations are continuing and more arrests are expected.

The RTMC said the arrests came on the same day that a former member of the National Traffic Police was handed a lengthy jail term for corruption.

The Mokopane Magistrate's Court in Limpopo sentenced Rodney Dagalo Ramusia, 29, to six years in prison.

Ramusia was arrested in May 2018 on the R101 near Malotane, where he was extorting bribes from motorists. He was bust after he stopped an undercover agent and demanded a R200 bribe instead of issuing a fine.

RTMC CEO Makhosini Msibi said the sentence handed to Ramusia would send a strong message that traffic officers were not above the law.

"It is good to see the courts taking a tough stance against bribery and corruption," said Msibi.

"Traffic officers who demand bribes from motorists abuse trust placed on them by the state. The courts should not show them mercy."