Umm Muhammed Umar

There is light at the end of the tunnel for those protesting at the driver’s license testing centres. Gauteng driving operators were protesting at the centres over the past weeks demanding, the scrapping of the latest online booking system. an agreement has now been reached between the provincial Department of Roads and Transport the provincial leg, the National Driving School Association of SA, and the Traffic Management Corporation. Radio Islam spoke to Theo Nkonki Spokesperson for the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport, City of Johannesburg.

According to Nkonki, the gist of the agreement reached between the Department, the driving school Association and the RTMC, was that the agreement paves the way in so as far as that there would be a common platform for people to voice their concerns. And that that platform will be available to both the departments, the driving school associations, and also the Road Traffic Management Corporation. He said, “the strike that saw over the past couple of weeks was the result of a disagreement between the RTMC and the driving schools’ associations, in that there were changes that they are RTMC introduced in its website for people to get a slot in driving schools in DLT fees.” He added, “And the driving schools were quite aggrieved that some of the securities that are being introduced were almost detrimental to their business. And we have resolved that those securities have been relaxed for now. Until the end of June.” Nkonki explained that the department was working on a more permanent solution that would allow them able to be recognized first as driving schools, so that they could conduct their business lawfully and service their clients.  Driving schools have accepted the agreement which, Konki says, provided a very positive way forward. He warned, “It’s a human system, it will always be bound to imperfection. So, it’s through understanding and talking to each other, that we believe that we will fix it, so that everyone who is affected by it is also heard and they’re also taking part.”

The impact of the protests had been felt across the province. Konki said that he had received calls from people across the province, who were worried about their booking. Some could not access the DLT scene, “which meant that they had to postpone their lives really, so that they then activate another date.” The backlog created by the strike, of over 1600 people, has been cleared, and the department was now able to accommodate everyone who wanted to book a slot. We are fast approaching March 31, which is the deadline for those whose licenses or their license cards would have expired during the COVID 19 pandemic. Nkonki said, “We are quite confident that we’ve created enough platforms, we’ve created enough infrastructure as well, to support the huge numbers that were part of the backlog.” He added that people who wanted to blame the site for not having renewed their licence would really find it very difficult to explain that.

Nkonki said working with the driving schools as a strategic partner, the department could create a formalized and a properly regulated driving school industry in Gauteng.