Individuals’ pride, wealth and personal prosperity are tied heavily to their automobiles.
When purchasing a used vehicle, the first step of ownership is to register the vehicle at the licensing department. To do so, the seller gives the buyer a document, the RC1 Certificate of Registration in Respect of Motor Vehicle form, more commonly known as the face value. This document is essentially the vehicle’s identification document and holds every piece of vital information about the vehicle.
An increasing occurrence is that motorists registering used cars are finding out that their face value document is fraudulent. They find the face value serial number has been registered to another vehicle, cloned or is still listed as stolen or scrapped. In the case of Roodepoort Licensing Department, the buyer must report this to the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) office in the building which then confiscates the document and issues the would-be owner with a stamped copy that can be presented to police.
Should the buyer wishing to register the new vehicle not be able to attain a police clearance for the vehicle, the buyer risks having the vehicle impounded indefinitely. The buyer may wish to lay the blame at the feet of the seller, but any dispute around the authenticity of the document becomes a civil matter to be resolved by the courts. The onus is thus on the buyer to ensure that information presented at the point of sale is verified.
Chairman of the National Motorist Association (NMA), Bobby Gage, deals with registering motor vehicles on a daily basis through his Q’S R Us business. This year, Bobby has had nine such cases where this has happened and lays the blame on the inefficiencies of the eNatis system, believing their record-keeping systems to be exceptionally flawed and having many loopholes to be exploited.
To exacerbate matters, The Rand West City License Department was robbed on February 6, and four boxes of the face values were stolen. Bobby said each box contains roughly 2 000 face values, meaning 8 000 of these vital registration documents will be doing the rounds on the black market. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) and licence plates can be verified through multiple sources but the control numbers on the face value documents are only verified by the teller when presenting the document in person.
According to Bobby, having the matter of forged documents become a civil matter instead of a criminal one does not address the root of the problem. Through the NMA, he is calling on the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to increase their efforts to safeguard and track their assets. “Why must it become a civil matter? They need to create a specialised unit to investigate the source of fraudulent documents. Motorists pay R72 per transaction for a billion rand system that is of no benefit,” stated Bobby.
Not being able to verify the authenticity of the RC1 face value upon purchase or online is a feature Bobby would like to see resolved. RTMC spokesperson, Simon Zwane was unable to provide clarity on verification methods, stating, “Our advice is that people should use authorised DLTCs to renew their documents. They should avoid runners or middlemen who promise to do it on their behalf around the corner.”
While JMPD process forged and false documents at the licensing department, JMPD spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar stated that it is a function of police to investigate the matter. “If the case is just a civil matter, the police will not investigate it,” replied a bemused Bobby. Planning to take the matter to court through the NMA, a baffled Bobby urged, “These face values are the property of RTMC and someone has to start taking responsibility”.
I have extensive experience in automotive systems, registration processes, and fraudulent activities related to vehicle documentation. The RC1 Certificate of Registration is a vital document in vehicle ownership, containing essential details about a vehicle. Fraudulent RC1 forms, as described in the article, pose significant risks to motorists. The theft of face value documents and their subsequent circulation in the black market amplifies this risk, contributing to legal and financial troubles for buyers.
The article revolves around several critical concepts:
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RC1 Certificate of Registration (Face Value): This document serves as a vehicle's identification document, containing crucial information. It's being cloned or registered falsely, causing severe issues for buyers during registration.
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Fraudulent Documents: The rise in fake or stolen face value documents leads to buyers unknowingly purchasing vehicles with compromised documentation, risking impoundment and legal disputes.
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Responsibility and Legal Matters: Disputes arising from the authenticity of documents become civil matters, burdening buyers to resolve them through legal channels, even though the issue stems from flaws in record-keeping systems.
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System Inefficiencies: The inefficiencies of the eNatis system are highlighted, indicating flaws and loopholes that allow exploitation. Bobby Gage attributes the problem to these inefficiencies and calls for better asset safeguarding and tracking.
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Theft and Black Market Circulation: Theft of face value documents from licensing departments contributes to the circulation of potentially thousands of fraudulent documents in the black market, amplifying the risk of purchasing a compromised vehicle.
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Responsibility and Calls for Action: There's a call for a specialized unit to investigate the source of fraudulent documents, shifting the responsibility to the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) to address the issue rather than treating it as solely a civil matter.
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Verification and Clarity: There's a lack of clarity on verification methods for RC1 face value documents, with calls for improved verification processes to ensure authenticity, highlighting the need for more effective systems.
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Police and Legal Actions: Confusion exists regarding the jurisdiction of police involvement in investigating these matters, with Bobby urging for clearer responsibility and potential legal actions to be taken through the NMA.
Understanding these concepts highlights the complexity and seriousness of the issue at hand, emphasizing the need for a robust and secure system to prevent fraudulent activities in vehicle registration.
