Driver’s Licence renewals seem very time-consuming and inefficient, people agree on social media. OUTA (Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse), is lobbying to have the 5-year renewal of driver’s licences changed. Moreover, many drivers agree the rigmarole is burdensome and unnecessary.

Drivers Licence renewals unnecessary

Interestingly, OUTA wrote to the Minister of Transport, Minister Fikile Mbalula requesting this practice be reconsidered. Accordingly, the OUTA website states, “We believe that both the state and its citizens would benefit from a formal extension of the DL period of applicability from the current five year period to one of ten years,” said Dominique Msibi, Portfolio Manager at OUTA’s Public Governance Division. “This should save the SA consumer and government time and money as well as improve the administration and manageability of the renewal process by the state.”

Currently, driver’s license renewals are expensive and time-consuming and the Gauteng NATIS website offers little choice in the venue.

Cost of renewal

Actually, the personal experience is unpleasant. Firstly, the website directs citizens to the earliest appointment.  Personally, my booking was for Akasia, a venue 81kms away. Importantly, apart from the time factor, a round trip costing approximately R160.00 plus the R288.00 for the licence, is onerous. Moreover, all attempts to establish opening hours via the call centre 012 358 9999 fail.

Likewise, emails to customercare@tshwane.gov.za are “undeliverable”. Finally, a 162kilometer trip to the offices to collect the licence after the driver’s licence renewal failed. Specifically, a notice on locked doors says, “Closed at 11 am on Tuesdays for cleaning.” Notably, nothing on the Tshwane Gove website indicates this change in working hours.

What do other citizens report?

According to Mr Msibi from  OUTA, “The state is facing a growing crisis of legitimacy in its inability to address the backlog of DL renewals, which appears to be getting worse, not better.” Continuing, he says inefficiencies force drivers to drive without documentation.

Additionally, he says “The extension of the grace period for ‘expired’ DL is becoming the norm. We believe there will be no adverse impact on the lives of South Africans in the case of extending [Driver’s License renewal] to 10-years.” Twitterati has a lot to say.

 

Have you had a bad experience renewing your licence? Have your say in the comments below.