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The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Limpopo calls on the MEC for Transport and Community Safety, Ms Lerule-Ramakhanya, to urgently address the challenges at test driving and licencing stations across the province to prevent further escalation of the existing backlogs.

This follows the recent oversight visits to test and driving stations by the Portfolio Committee for Transport which laid bare serious challenges experienced in the Capricorn and Sekhukhune districts.

The Mabopo driving testing and licensing centre in Ga-Nchabeleng has no space for filing and no storeroom.

No vehicle testing is being done, despite the fact that such facilities are available. Clients who are turned away must travel to the Polokwane municipality for this service.

The centre further does not have facilities for the issuing of new driving licences.

The centre only accepts cash as there are no card swiping facilities and poor network coverage to operate the eNatis and learners testing systems. These challenges are experienced at the Sekhukhune (Schoonord) driving, testing and licencing centre as well.

The Schoonord Centre does not have a back-up generator, experience water shortages and have limited office space for examiners, as they shared and stored all documents and working tools in the same office.

The Mankweng Centre has limited  space and can currently only accommodate 12 candidates to write their driver’s licence exams due to Covid protocols.

The DA is concerned that if these challenges are not urgently addressed, the province will never be able to chip away at ballooning backlogs.

We call on MEC Lerule-Ramakhanya to dispatch mobile offices to stations to address shortage of office space and to upgrade network systems to minimise delays to operate eNatis.

We believe that motorists want to remain on the road legally and will continue to exert pressure on the department to increase the capacity at licensing centres so that more motorists can be assisted with renewing their licences.

Issued by The DA