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End of road for taxi driver bust with fake ID, owes R56,400 in traffic fines

A taxi driver with two IDs was bust by traffic officers who found outstanding warrants of arrest against both his real and fake names to the value of R56,400.
A taxi driver with two IDs was bust by traffic officers who found outstanding warrants of arrest against both his real and fake names to the value of R56,400.
Image: STOCK IMAGE

A taxi driver who assumed a fake identity could not outrun the arm of the law when pulled over by traffic officers who found outstanding warrants of arrest against both his real and false names. 

The 34-year-old driver was arrested at Elsies River in Cape Town on Tuesday after initially trying to bamboozle officers about his identity.

"He initially lied about his personal details, but a check found outstanding warrants on the fake identity, as well as his real identity which was revealed when his driver's licence was produced," said traffic services spokesperson Richard Coleman.

"In another twist, the suspect then claimed he was actually someone else, but officers had heard enough, and arrested him on 17 outstanding warrants to the value of R56,400," he said.

The taxi driver was one of 130 people arrested in the city between Monday and Wednesday for 616 outstanding warrants amounting to more than R1.2m.

Sowetan's sister publication TimesLIVE reported in July that metro police, traffic services and the SAPS were hell bent on clamping down on taxi crimes after an unprecedented public outcry about drivers' negligence on the roads.

Operation Reclaim has been in action since then and resulted in the arrest of more than  3,000 taxi drivers with warrants exceeding a staggering R30m.

"The numbers are absolutely staggering and I hope it helps bust the myth that there is no law enforcement taking place.

"I also hope that it sends a stern message to those scofflaws who think they are above the law - that they could very well be next, and that it somehow makes them think twice about their disdain for the law," said the city’s mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith. 


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