Gauteng’s transport and roads department has turned to e-channels to deal with the driver’s licence renewal backlog.
Jacob Mamabolo, MEC for public transport and roads infrastructure in Gauteng, yesterday announced the “request a slot” campaign, which will allow motorists to use e-mail, an app and website to book a slot to renew their driver’s or learner's licence.
While he didn’t specify when the app will be live, the e-mail and website channels are currently accessible.
Announcing the three new platforms, the MEC said the campaign is a partnership with Gauteng licence card-holders who want to renew their driver’s licences.
“We’ve created multiple platforms, specifically designed for people to request a slot. You can go to our web-based system where you’ll find an icon that you’ll click on and it will tell you the information we require. You will click send and then in 30 days, we will issue you with a booking slot, and we request that you honour it.”
If motorists are not comfortable with the web-based system, Mamabolo notes they can use the app. “We have designed an app which can be downloaded – it is called the ‘request a slot’ app. Similarly, you’ll be able to make a request using the app.
“There are two e-mail platforms we have created. These are ‘request a slot’ e-mails in which you can send us a request and then we will send a response with the information that is required.”
This morning he tweeted: “I am very pleased that 1 000+ people have already requested a slot. We will issue them slots within 30 days. We are confident they will honour their appointment.”
Gauteng motorists have found it near impossible to renew their driving licences, as slots on the online booking system have been unavailable at various Driving Licence Testing Centres (DLTCs) in the province.
The ongoing backlog resulted in transport minister Fikile Mbalula last month extending the grace period for licence renewals to 31 March 2022. The move means all learner licences, temporary driving licences, professional driving permits and driving licence cards which expired between 26 March 2020 and 31 August 2021 are still valid for the time being.
More than 430 000 people in Gauteng are said to be driving with expired licences.
The introduction of the new platforms is not an admission that the eNatis system has failed, the MEC told 24-hour TV news channel Newzroom Afrika.
“The eNatis system is a national system run by the Road Traffic Management Corporation. Here in the Gauteng province, in the six months starting January 2021 to July 2021, we have processed and finalised 500 000 driver licence applications.
“Whilst we have accepted that the eNatis system is not working optimally, in the most effective and efficient way, it has allowed us to process half-a-million licences in the last six months. In 2020, from July to December, 280 000 driver’s licences were processed in our province.”
In May, Mbalula revealed that preliminary investigations suggest that “corruption is the principal driver of lack of availability of booking slots in various DLTCs across Gauteng”.
Mamabolo acknowledged that an organised crime syndicate is behind the provincial transport department’s driving licence woes. As a result, his department has appointed a forensic firm to crack down on the syndicates and networks that are involved in corruption.
“We are fighting one of the most highly-organised criminal syndicates that has been making lots of money from an inefficient and extremely corrupt system, and definitely they are going to try and take chances.”
Motorists can send an e-mail to request a slot to renew their licences to: requestaslot@gauteng.gov.za or requestaslot@rtmc.co.za.
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