As motorists across the country frantically rush to beat the cut-off date for drivers licence renewal, Gauteng transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo hinted at a possible further extension of the grace period.
Mamobolo urged motorists not to panic as the province has developed a plan to help them beyond the August 31st 31 cut off period.
He said Gauteng had no more than 200,000 people who were yet to renew their licenses ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, which had been was extended several times since imposed Covid-19 lockdown was brought on by the outbreak of Covid-19 last year.
“We have put together a support programme to help those motorists who will not be able to have slots come August 31. There is a support system that is in place, we will announce it after the minister has made his announcement,” Mamabolo said.
“People should not work with corrupt syndicates in the DLTCs [Driving Licence Testing Centres]. They should wait for the provincial government to announce the support system that will be made available.”
There have been growing calls for the deadline to be extended as a flurry of motorists have been left frustrated by the centralised booking system to secure spots for renewal for months.
On Monday, the Road Traffic Management Corporation said 60% of motorists across the country accounted for driving licenses that had expired between March and December 2020 that had not yet been renewed.
Transport Mminister Fikile Mbalula told Sowetan on Wednesday that he would make an announcement on the matter before the end of the week. Mbalula would not answer further questions, only saying: “We are considering the issue as we speak.”
The taxi industry on Wednesday joined a chorus of growing calls for the cut-off date’s reconsideration, saying it will have a huge impact on their operations.
National Taxi Alliance (NTA) spokesperson Theo Malele said though he did not have exact figure, the number of drivers whose licenses had expired was high.
“What I know for sure is that traffic cops are setting up road blocks sporadically. That has an impact on the revenue that we have to make daily because the money that we have ends up in the pockets of the police,” he said.
“If a driver has his licence expired, they have to get off the road and wait until they have renewed their licenses. You have to find a replacement. It is not easy to get one quickly as you know we do not have a vetting platform we can use to screen the drivers. Furthermore, you can get a driver but he may be new in the association and may not understand the routes properly, that can affect the daily revenue.”
When asked whether the NTA had tried to engage Mbalula, Malele said it would not have helped because the minister had done “nothing for the industry”.
Ralph Jones, the general secretary of SA National Taxi Council in Gauteng, said the greater risk taxi owners faced was losing their vehicles in case of an accident.
“If the vehicle is involved in an accident, insurance will not pay because the driver will not be having a valid licence. This is the challenge that we may face,” Jones said.
Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) CEO Wayne Duvenage said the cut-off date should be extended.
“Having tried to get their licenses for so long without success, there is naturally a flurry of activity as the deadline looms closer. If it is not extended, we will have thousands of motorists driving with expired driving licenses. This causes angst and opens them up to abuse by corrupt traffic officers,” said Duvenage.
He added that extending the deadline without addressing inefficiencies in the booking system will not help.
The Automobile Association of SA spokesperson Layton Beard said the whole licence booking system needed to change very quickly to deal with the problems. Beard said insurance companies would likely repudiate claims from motorists driving with expired licences beyond the grace period.
In Limpopo, transport MEC Mike Maringa said there was no room for anyone to be found with an expired licence on the road as the province had no backlog.
“We have not been approached by anyone because all systems are in place and we encourage people to go to their nearest stations and renew the other licenses that are due next week. Our stations are open and we have been assisting and processing applications,” he said.
However, the Mankweng Taxi Association said the industry will be meeting with Mbalula today to register their concerns.
“Some of our members are unable to work because they can’t get their permits as the processing is too slow. Things are not moving at the licensing departments and we will advise the minister to extend the gracing period,” he said.
In Mpumalanga, the department of community safety, security and liaison spokesperson Moeti Mmusi said all licensing stations have been made aware of the looming deadline. Mmusi said that drivers had been given enough time to renew their licences without having to wait for the last day.
Sowetan visited the Mbombela licensing department where people complained about the slow movement speed of the service lines at the gate.
“I’m here to renew my licenses disc as the time is nearing, but I was told the system is offline so I’m going back now. It’s frustrating and I’m not going to be able to feel free when driving and we rushing time and business because the truth is us taxi drivers it’s hard to get time for these things. I do wish that they can extend the time because their system even does go off and if you come early it makes no difference it makes you to loose time for nothing,” said taxi driver Sipho Shongwe.
Several motorists who went to DLTCs in Johannesubrg on Wednesday continued to blame the online booking system for being tedious for them to get spots.
At the Xavier Junction licence and testing centre in Ormonde, south of Johannesburg, Lehlohonolo Makhale, whose licence expired in February, said it has taken took her more than a month to secure a booking.
“I got my first appointment date in March this year and the place that I went to in Edenvale did not assist me because their system was offline. So, I had to go back to the Edenvale centre when their system was working. When I went back there after a week, my original appointment date did not reflect on the system. It had been forfeited.
“I had to book for a slot again and got it in June and managed to do my renewal. I came here at Xavier to collect my licence. This online system is a tedious, long process. It is not convenient at all,” said Makhale.
At the Langlaagte station, few people who gathered there to renew their licences said they were worried that they will not be able to do so by the cut-off date.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.