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South Africa’s driver’s license renewal system continues to frustrate motorists and “something sinister” may be behind some of the problems.
This is according to Jacob Mamabolo, Gauteng MEC for public transport and road infrastructure, who spoke with ENCA about the problems.
Many South Africans are trying to renew their driving licenses that expired during the shutdown when the renewal centers were closed.
The Department of Transportation issued a directive to address the delay in driver license renewals to offer motorists a grace period.
All driver’s license cards that expired between March 26, 2020 and including August 31, 2020 are now valid for a period ending January 31, 2021.
This grace period provides motorists some relief, but has also created a delay in renovations that are now difficult to resolve.
The fact that driver’s licenses expired after August 31 do not have the same grace period is putting further pressure on the system.
Driver’s license renewal issues are so severe that the Automobile Association (AA) has called for urgent changes to the process.
The AA has also called for an immediate moratorium on fines for drivers without renewed driver’s licenses.
“It is an absurd situation where motorists cannot renew their discs or cards and are then arrested and fined for not having done so,” the AA said.
The Undoing Tax Abuse Organization (OUTA) wants Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to change the validity period of the driver’s license from five to ten years.
“This should save the consumer and government of South Africa time and money, as well as improve the administration and management capacity of the renewal process by the state,” he said.
He also called for a more efficient online application process for driver license renewal that precedes the actual renewal.
This, OUTA said, will allow for more efficient service delivery and a flow between the appointment, the eye exam and the delivery of the license.
Something sinister
There is an even greater concern related to the driver’s license renewal system: government officials hijacking the system.
Mamabolo said the online reservation system is a great frustration for motorists trying to renew their licenses.
Subsequently, the government analyzed the data and revealed that there is a problem with the way officials administer and handle the allocation of spaces.
He said many spaces are allocated to services such as new driver license applications, but not driver license renewals.
“That tells you that the way officials are allocating spaces in the system is not correct, as it makes them underperform on renovations,” he said.
He said they are now investigating why officials are deliberately allocating more slots for new driver’s licenses.
He dismissed speculation that poor training may be behind the problem, saying it reveals something far more troubling and sinister.
While not directly mentioning the corruption, Mamabolo hinted that something “dubious” was going on at the driver’s license testing centers (DLTCs).
“We need to investigate and verify if there is anything sinister in the trend of lower driver license renewals,” he said.
Most of the DLTCs are under the control of the municipalities, and Mamabolo will now discuss the matter with the respective mayors of these municipalities.
Steps to solve the problem
Mamabolo assured motorists that they are acting to resolve driver license renewal issues, including:
- Issue a directive to increase the allocation of spaces for the renewal of the driving license.
- Commission an investigation into possible corruption in the allocation of spaces.
- Consider increasing the number of DLTCs and exploring other options, such as using mobile facilities.
“What people are going through is definitely unacceptable,” Mamabolo said.
Interview with Jacob Mamabolo
Now Read: Chaos in South African Driving License Renewal
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