The frustration of spending hours in long queues to renew a driver’s licence could soon become a thing of the past following the installation of a new processing unit at the Dundee testing centre.

The additional unit will be used to complete eye tests and other administrative processes linked to licence renewals, helping to improve service delivery and reduce waiting times.

The development follows complaints from residents who said they had been travelling to Dannhauser to renew their licences because the process there was quicker and more efficiently managed.

For several weeks, applicants reported arriving before 06:00 to secure a place in the queue, with some claiming that only eight licence renewal applications were being processed each day.

On Friday, councillor Saleem Abdool, chairperson of the portfolio committee responsible for overseeing the facility, visited the centre to assess the situation.

“There were people queuing not only for licence renewals but also for learner’s licence tests. With the implementation of the Smart Card Unit system, there have been delays and, unfortunately, information from some applicants was lost during the changeover process,” said Abdool.

“As a result, some people had to return for fingerprints to be retaken, which added to the congestion.”

The Smart Card Unit forms part of a centralised document-processing system responsible for producing South Africa’s credit card-style driving licences.

Operated by the Road Traffic Management Corporation, the specialised production centres receive information from testing centres before printing the final licence cards for collection.

Plans under way to improve services

Abdool said two processing units are now operational at the Dundee facility, while a third unit is expected to be installed in the near future.

He acknowledged that staffing shortages remain a challenge but said plans are being developed to improve capacity and customer service.

In an effort to provide a more comfortable environment for applicants, officials are also considering relocating the testing centre to the former Commando building behind the Dundee municipal offices.

The proposal remains in the planning stages, but municipal officials believe it could help improve both access and service delivery in the future.

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