South Africa Clamps Down on Plate Fraud

In the South African province of Gauteng, the Department of Transport is launching a war on fraudulent number-plates.

The action, which targets the sources of production, will mean that all stages of the manufacturing process will be tightly regulated.

There will be a new system of registration for all companies involved and all individuals wishing to work within the new scheme would have to undergo security checks - which will include the taking fingerprint samples.

Spokesman, Musa Mangany, said;" As part of the registration process all number plate manufacturers, distributors and embossers must be security screened. The screening process involves the inspection of premises and making recommendations to improve the security of the premises where necessary."

The new system will require motorists' registration papers and proof of identity to be produced and recorded when they purchase their plates.

The government department plans to track the whole production process, auditing all agencies involved along the way. So, that the initial manufacturing stage can be linked to the details of the company which actually embossed the registration and the eventual purchaser and his or her vehicle.

Manganyi also said that the new plates would feature both "covert and overt security features": These include an expiry decal; a barcode and radio identification tag.

A colour-coding system will be introduced to separate government (red), standard (blue), personalised (green) and public transport (black) registrations.

Gauteng province, formerly part of the Transvaal, accounts for only 1.4% of the land mass of South Africa but is home to more than 18% of its total population

The chairman of the Gauteng Number Plate Association, Peter Brandt, fully supported the motives behind the plans, which aim to make it far more difficult for criminals to obtain false plates.

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