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Gauteng Public Transport and Road Infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo says the provincial government will make changes to driver’s license reserves to address their growing backlog.
Starting Monday (Nov 16), all DLTCs in the province will dedicate 70% of reserve slots and capacity to driver license renewal to address current delays , said.
“We have also made the decision that the available capacity at DLTCs, such as equipment, machinery and personnel, will be dedicated to addressing the delay in renewal of driver’s licenses,” he said.
A provincial management operations center will be established to monitor DLTC activities on a daily basis, as well as to ensure that decisions are implemented.
“There will also be a dedicated team to maintain and repair the equipment and machinery that is used to process driver’s license renewals on a regular basis,” he said.
The department also plans to begin a forensic investigation into allegations of corruption, bribery and collusion at DLTCs in the province in December 2020.
“While the current Covid-19 pandemic has had a major impact on the backlog of driver license renewals, it has also exposed the fact that DLTCs have not functioned optimally over the years.
“The capacity of the DLTCs has not been increased to match the demand and pressure generated by the growing population,” Mamabolo said.
Massive arrears
This week, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula revealed that South Africa is 320,000 behind for driving licenses, with demand growing by 90,000 every month.
Talking to Encan, Mbalula said that this delay is due to corruption among the administrative staff of the driver’s license testing centers.
Over the past few weeks, many South Africans trying to renew their driving licenses have expressed frustration with the system. One of the main complaints is the online reservation system, where it is extremely difficult to find a space for license renewal.
Read: Electronic toll decision delay is now costing all of South Africa
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