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.
— OUTA (@OUTASA) October 1, 2020
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.
Warning – AKASIA Drivers Licence is CLOSED for cleaning from 11h00 on Tuesdays. How do I know this? I drove 81kilometers to read the small notice taped to the door. NOTHING ON TSHWANE WEBSITE! Call centre unanswered.
— S Michael Guthrie (@smichaelguthrie) October 6, 2020
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.
So, the @randburg_sun ran an article in 2018 about no more walk-ins for drivers licence renewals. My nephew is trying to book a slot. He cannot get in to the system to book. A nightmare. @DavidCOJ102 @davidpotterdp is anyone else in the same boat? What to do?
— Nicole Petyt (@NicolePetyt) October 6, 2020
@TrafficRTMC When are the Drivers Licence renewal slots going to be made available for Johannesburg? I have been on your website all day waiting for slots to become available. @MbalulaFikile
— Taurean J. Cloete (@TeddyGP348) October 6, 2020
Have you had a bad experience renewing your licence? Have your say in the comments below.
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