New Regulations Will Bring Dysfunctional Licensing Centres to a Standstill

Gauteng Testing and Licensing CentresJustus de Goede DA Gauteng Spokesperson on Transport

Testing and licensing centres across Gauteng, already backlogged due to poor service delivery, will come to a complete standstill should proposed legislation be passed requiring the re-testing of existing license holders.

The proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Act, referred to as Section 170D, will require licensed drivers to undergo “observation, enquiry and a practical test” upon the renewal of their existing driver’s license.

Backlogs in License Testing

Centres across the province already have huge backlogs in license testing which will be further aggravated if the Section 170D proposal is approved.

The existing first-time licencing system is riddled with corruption and inefficiency and this new provision will only worsen current problems.

Many of Gauteng’s residents commute in private vehicles because there is insufficient, reliable public transport to provide viable alternative means of travel.

Impact of Proposed Regulations

The new proposed regulations will have little to no impact on driver patterns or behaviour.

If government is serious about making our roads safer, it needs to invest more on quality public transport and make concerted efforts to improve traffic law enforcement.

Increased and cumbersome bureaucracy will only exacerbate the dire situation, not fix it.

 

Media enquiries:
Justus de Goede MPL
DA Gauteng spokesperson on transport
060 558 8305

[Image source]

Gauteng Transport’s Anti-corruption Drive Must Include Municipalities

During the recent launch of the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport campaign against fraud and corruption, Transport MEC Ismail Vadi admitted that public cynicism played an important role in inhibiting successful public participation.

The question remains how such a campaign would be enforced, and how deeply committed to rooting out corruption officials in the Department of Roads and Transport are.

According to DA information, two key senior officials responsible for testing, licensing and the issue of permits were not present at the launch, and did not sign the anti-fraud and corruption undertakings.

This must surely be urgently investigated.
The DA believes that the focus of investigations should include local government, and the artificial firewalls between the different spheres of government should fall away to allow wider and more intense scrutiny of corruption on this level.

Although municipal mayoral committee members were allowed to sign the declaration, they were “otherwise engaged” and their future participation is uncertain.

The DA welcomes indications of the successful prosecution of a number of officials for corruption, but one government department playing the game is not enough.

Official corruption is the scourge of job creation and economic growth, and, while MEC Vadi deserves support for his initiative, the entire provincial administration has an obligation to act against corruption.

 

Media enquiries:

Justus de Goede MPL

DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Transport

060 558 8305

[Image source]