As citizens took to social media to express their frustration and anger over the chaotic online vehicle licensing platform in Gauteng, public transport & road infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo has moved to reassure them.
In an interview with Business Day on Tuesday, Mamabolo said he intended to upgrade outdated IT systems at the province’s 40 driving licence testing centres because the outdated infrastructure was behind the backlog that has left motorists disgruntled and threatens to throttle business in the economic hub.
“I must emphasise that the online booking system is not going anywhere. It is here to stay because it gives us a controlled environment in this era of the pandemic. The backdated technology limiting our capacity to serve our people will be done away with,” Mamabolo said.
Gauteng has been using an online booking system for vehicle licence renewals, driving tests and permits for public driving since 2020 when much of the country went into lockdown. But the system has not been working optimally as some motorists wait for months without getting an appointment.
“Has anyone actually been able to book an appointment for driving licence card renewal through the eNatis system?” Ridhwaan Suliman, a researcher at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, asked on Twitter, referring to the system called the electronic national administration traffic information system. “I’ve tried every day for many weeks now, but 90% of the time there are no slots available. On the few occasions there were, the centres were much too far away.”
Aside from leaving consumers frustrated, the optimal functioning of the licensing centres is crucial to the SA economy as the logistics sector and the taxi industry, which contributes R50bn a year to GDP, depend on them to renew driving licences and public drivers’ permits.
The automotive sector is prohibited by law from selling cars to those without valid licences, and the possession of a driving licence is a requirement of most job seekers to be considered for employment.
Mamabolo said the machines the centres use for eye testing and to take fingerprints run on old technology and are causing a backlog in bookings as most have stopped working.
“Those machines are critical and if they are not functioning, the response time will be too slow,” Mamabolo said.
He said he would upgrade driving licensing testing centres, or DLTCs, with the latest technology for taking fingerprints and testing eyesight.
“Before the end of this year, I will remove the outdated machines ... and introduce a new-generation system linked to the home affairs system, similar to the one used by banks.”
Mamabolo also said his department was working to clear the backlog by extending office hours and calling on staff to work during weekends.
Still, it is difficult to serve the province’s population of about 15-million with 40 licensing centres. “The number has not increased over the years, in line with the population growth. The supply has remained stagnant, while demand has increased.”
Mamabolo said his department had designed a priority booking system, which automatically allocated slots to drivers whose licences were about to expire.
DA Gauteng shadow MEC for roads & transport Fred Nel reiterated calls for the system to be scrapped and asked that motorists be allowed to use DLTCs as walk-in centres “so more motorists can be assisted”.
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