The NNP wants a commission of inquiry to look into irregularities at traffic centres after it was found that about half of the driver’s licences in the country were invalid, but the Department of Transport said it was not concerned.
The NNP wants a commission of inquiry to look into irregularities at traffic centres after it was found that about half of the driver’s licences in the country were invalid, but the Department of Transport said it was not concerned.
Acting transport minister Jeff Radebe said on Monday that an informal study found that half of the credit-card licences had been issued in an irregular manner. “In cases where cards are issued in an irregular manner, licences are sold to applicants, eye tests are not done, applicants are not tested as prescribed, or not tested at all, and licences are being authorised by non-authorised examiners,” Radebe said.
NNP spokesperson Keppies Niemann told the the whole process of testing should be scrutinised for loopholes. He said every traffic department in the country should be investigated.
“It is high time that the minister gets to the bottom of the ongoing corruption and fraud regarding driver’s licences so that it can be rooted out once and for all,” said Niemann.
“What more motivation does the minister need than the high death toll on our roads? South Africa has got one of the highest road accident figures in the world.”
But reported that the Department of Transport said there was no crisis of illegal drivers’ licenses in South Africa and government had acted accordingly where a crisis had been identified.
Spokesperson for the department Lisa Mangcu said transport minister Dullah Omar had previously announced the cancellation of 10 000 drivers licences in Limpopo. “The department has, since the investigations into these licenses, already cancelled about 50 000 licences,” said Mangcu.
He said people suspected of having acquired driving licenses through irregularl means were notified by post. “The people must then come to us and prove they can drive by taking the drivers’ test. If they pass the test they are allowed to keep their licences and if they fail they forfeit them.”
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