By Thapelo Molefe
Civil rights organisation Progressive Forces of South Africa (PFSA) has called for urgent investigations into alleged corruption and financial mismanagement at the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), warning that the state entity is on the brink of collapse under interim CEO Refilwe Mongale.
Speaking at a media briefing on Monday, at the Gallagher Convention Centre in Midrand, PFSA leaders accused Mongale of “abusing public funds for personal comfort” while hundreds of workers face retrenchments and vital road safety programmes are being dismantled.
PFSA spokesperson Nomagugu Nkosi said the crisis began shortly after Mongale’s appointment on 1 July, when she allegedly introduced sweeping internal changes “without board approval”, including moves to close the RTMC Anti-Corruption Unit, the National Traffic College in Pretoria, and to retrench nearly 900 officers across the country.
“These so-called restructuring measures are not about saving money — they are about removing accountability, silencing investigators, and weakening oversight within the corporation,” Nkosi said.
She alleged that Mongale authorised the rental of a BMW X5 luxury vehicle from a private company at R5,600 per day, despite already having a state vehicle assigned to her.
PFSA also accused her of authorising stays at expensive hotels and renting additional vehicles for her children, all at taxpayers’ expense.
Inside RTMC, Nkosi said, workers are being retrenched while service delivery suffers.
“Officers can’t get vehicles repaired because the RTMC workshop has been closed, leaving 20 official cars parked and useless while she drives around in a luxury rental fitted with blue lights,” she charged.
She added that Mongale had even taken two traffic officers off duty to serve as her personal bodyguards, a move PFSA described as “an outrageous misuse of public resources.”
The closure of the Traffic College, which trains over 600 recruits, and the proposed job cuts have sparked fears of a national road safety crisis. PFSA claims the plans coincide with the release of a R710 million allocation from the National Skills Fund (NSF) to the RTMC, which is money they allege could be redirected improperly.
“We call for a full investigation into the timing and purpose of the R710 million NSF allocation and a freeze on all retrenchments until every financial matter is reviewed,” said PFSA president Mthetho Ngcukayithobi.
He added that the group has written to Parliament’s Standing Committee on Public Accounts (Scopa), the Public Protector, and the Auditor-General to intervene.
Ngcukayithobi described the developments as “a deliberate destabilisation of the RTMC” and called on Transport Minister Barbara Creecy to urgently step in.
“The RTMC cannot claim financial strain while it hosts luxury events and rents expensive vehicles. This is a betrayal of public service ethics,” he said.
PFSA’s stance was echoed by several civic and labour allies present at the briefing, including Abahambe Civic Movement, Count Me In, Rea Aga Civic Movement, SACRA, and Mamelodi Concerned Residents for Service Delivery.
Sibongile Mpanza of the Count Me In Movement said the closure of the RTMC workshop has paralysed the servicing of patrol cars and put law enforcement and motorists at risk ahead of the festive season. She urged Parliament to commission a full audit into the cost and motive behind the shutdown.
Khanya Ntloko from Rea Aga Civic Movement described the alleged retrenchments and restructuring as “part of a bigger pattern of collapsing state regulators”, warning that “South Africa is being left defenceless against criminal networks” due to weak enforcement on the roads.
PFSA activist Bonang Sepoloane accused the interim CEO of “greed and selfishness” for choosing luxury while cleaners and entry-level staff lost their jobs.
“Ten cleaners have already been retrenched, yet the CEO’s car rental alone costs more than all their salaries combined,” she said, calling for solidarity from the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union (PPOPCRU) to defend affected officers.
The coalition of civic movements vowed to continue protests and public campaigns until the retrenchment and college closure plans are halted.
“We are not fighting for power, We are fighting for principle — that public funds must serve the people, not those in positions of privilege,” Nkosi said.
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