The use of microdot technology would reduce the criminal activities of organised syndicates and restrict the illegal sale of stolen and hijacked motor vehicles or parts in South Africa, Business Against Crime South Africa (Bacsa) spokesperson Fouché Burgers said on Wednesday.

From September 1, it would be compulsory for all new motor vehicles and motor vehicles requiring a police clearance to be microdotted.

Burgers stated that the Transport Department and the South African Police Service (SAPS) would enforce the requirements through the National Traffic Information System (e-NaTIS).

The registration of a motor vehicle introduced onto the e-NaTIS by the manufacturer, importer or builder after September 1, would only be allowed if the microdot information was loaded onto the system, he explained.

Microdot suppliers, contracted by the relevant manufacturer, importer or builder, would be responsible for the loading of the information onto the e-NaTIS. Only once this information is loaded on to the e-NaTIS would the motor vehicle be regarded as being microdotted.

Should a police clearance be required, the local registering authority would issue the request for police clearance form (RPC), which would contain an indicator to verify if the vehicle had been microdotted. In the event that the vehicle has not been microdotted, the owner of the vehicle would be required to first microdot the vehicle at an approved microdot supplier before the vehicle is presented to the SAPS for clearance.

Bacsa said the SAPS would not clear the motor vehicle without the appropriate microdotting being implemented. The microdot supplier would load the microdot information onto the e-NaTIS after the microdotting process.

The new microdot regulation follows amendments to the Road Traffic Act by former Transport Minister Sibusiso Ndebele in March this year.

“Bacsa and the SAPS regard this intervention by the Minister as one of the most positive steps recently taken by government in the fight against motor vehicle crime,” Bacsa said.

Between 80 000 and 90 000 vehicles are stolen each year in South Africa. Some of these vehicles are stripped for parts or resold on the local market to innocent buyers. Further, more than 12 000 recovered vehicles were destroyed by the law enforcement agencies as they could not be identified. The technology would also prevent the cloning of vehicles.

Microdotting comprises the spraying of over 10 000 tiny dots, with a unique identification number, in at least 88 different positions on a vehicle. This leaves a lasting imprint on the original identity of the motor vehicle and its associated parts. The dots can be detected with an ultraviolet light and magnifier.