City officials whose driving license cards, learner’s licences, professional driving permits, and temporary driving licences expired at the start of the hard lockdown have until Thursday, 31 March to renew their documents before any penalties are imposed.
Heston Mabiya, the Acting Deputy Director for Licensing in the City, is pleading with all municipal officials not to wait until the looming deadline to comply with the legislation, as this may create blockages in the system.
Mabiya encourages City employees to use the online portal to book a slot to renew their expired driving documents, noting that it does not reflect well on the municipality for its employees to drive with expired licenses.
“Booking online will help the City’s licensing department allocate applicants to a specific timeslot rather than having motorists flock to licensing centres where there are no structural resources,” he explains.
The City has introduced state-of-the-art mobile buses to help those living in communities on the periphery of the metro renew their documents before the end of the grace period. City employees can also visit the newly opened Driving License Testing Centre (DLTC) at Waterfall Park in Midrand to renew their expired licenses before the end of March 2022. The new DLTC operates at optimum capacity seven days a week.
Although eye-testing machines have been an issue for many motorists, Mabiya says those with impaired vision should consult their optometrists for letters stating their eye conditions, to ease the burden on the application process.
The spokesperson for the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), Simon Zwane, calls on all motorists in Johannesburg to renew expired licences before the fast-approaching deadline, irrespective of whether the licence printing machine is repaired or not. This comes after the national Transport department extended the grace period for a second time, following a slow take-up at the first opportunity.
Zwane says the current backlog of driving licence cards that expired between 26 March 2020 and 31 August 2021 stands at 1 476 853 with the bulk of these in Gauteng, which accounts for 509 888 driving licence cards not yet renewed.
“Motorists are warned not to be complacent as the March deadline is fast approaching and chances are that another extension will not be granted,” says Zwane says.
Despite the second extension of the grace period for the renewal of driving licenses, Mabiya says he’s concerned motorists are not honouring booked appointments.
“The main issue is that this situation has the potential to create another backlog in our system, so we urge everyone to comply.”
Zwane reiterates the call for City officials to comply with legislative requirements. “It remains a great concern that 30% of applicants who book for renewals on the online platform do not show up to finalise the application.”
Written by Dakalo Ramudidibi.
20/1/2022