AfriForum insists on free temporary driving licences amid backlog
AfriForum urges Barbara Creecy, Minister of Transport, to issue temporary driving licences free of charge to motorists who renew their licences on time, amid the backlog in the issuing of driving licence cards. The backlog of licence card issuance stood at more than 730 000 cards by mid-May of this year, as the country’s only licence card printer had been out of service for more than 130 days in the past four years.
The civil rights organisation maintains that law-abiding motorists who apply for the renewal of their licences on time but are now forced to take out temporary licences due to printer problems are being “fined” for the negligence of the Department of Transport. According to the department’s guidelines, motorists who do not apply for the renewal of their driving licences before the expiry date must purchase a temporary licence at an additional cost. Currently, even those who renew their licences promptly are forced to pay for a temporary licence because the chance of receiving the new licence card on time is minimal.
According to Louis Boshoff, AfriForum’s Spokesperson, the system should function in such a way that it is cheaper to renew your licence on time. However, the current system does not reflect this. “If the department is unable to maintain their machine or get a new one, they should pay the price for it, not ordinary motorists.”
Boshoff further explains that the department has so far ignored several workable solutions, such as extending the validity period of licence cards as proposed by AfriForum and others to address the backlog in printing licence cards.
“The department has had ample time to get a new licence card printer. We refuse to continue paying for a problem that is still not being resolved due to poor management,” Boshoff concludes.
