RTMC nudges motorists on licence renewal deadline
Approximately 230 965 driving licence holders in Gauteng still need to renew their permits.
Motorists have been prompted to take advantage of the extended operating hours at various licensing centres to renew their licences before the grace period deadline strikes.
Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) spokesperson Simon Zwane said they could not say if there would be another extension as this was the prerogative of the transport minister.
However, Zwane called on approximately 230 965 driving licence holders in Gauteng, to renew their permits to operate a motor vehicle on South African roads.
“We are calling on the driving licence holders not to wait until the last minute to start renewing.”
Zwane said the current call was to avoid last minute rushes in renewals, after the national lockdown imposed on the country last year forced licensing centres to close, resulting in a backlog of expired licences.
To ease the backlog, an extension until August 31, 2021 was announced by Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula for all learner licences, driving licence cards, temporary driving licences and professional driving permits (PrDP) that expired from March 26, 2020 to December 31, 2020.
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This saw the Gauteng province also dedicate 70% of all booking slots and driving licence testing centres (DLTCs) capacity to driving licenses renewals in order to address backlogs.
“As the deadline fast approaches, members of the public are encouraged to take advantage of the extended operating hours at various licensing centres to renew their licenses before the deadline.”
Zwane said the Gauteng provincial government and metros had further committed that DLTCs would operate on weekends to deal with the backlog.
He said slots were, however, opened on the booking system depending on their availability at DLTCs.
“DLTCs indicate how many slots are available for booking and these are then opened on the system.
“The system has been operating without major glitches for most of the time. Where glitches are experienced, they are attended to as quickly as possible.”
Zwane said elderly motorists, 60 years and above could be assisted without an appointment on Wednesdays.
He said Tshwane’s learners and DLTCs opened slots on Mondays at 09:00, then at 13:00, and again at 18:00. Johannesburg centres opened slots on Tuesdays at 09:00, then at 13:00, and again at 18:00.
He said for drivers licence card renewals and PrDP application appointments, all centres in various regions opened slots daily at 12:00 and again at 16:00.
He offered tips for the thousands of licence holders preparing for renewals:
– Do not wait until the exact expiry date before considering to renew your vehicle or driving licence.
– Allow at least four weeks lead time from date of application for your delivery of your driving licence card.
– Apply for your driving licence early to avoid having to apply for a temporary driving licence at an additional cost.
– When applying for your driving licence, present the following to your nearest DLTC: original ID and a copy, old driving licence card or valid South African passport, four black and white ID photographs, proof of residence and a licence renewal fee.
PUBLIC NOTICE!!!
The opening of Learner's Licence (LL) and Driving Licence (DL) tests slots are as follows:
The @CityTshwane will open their LL and DL test slots every Monday.
The @CityofJoburgZA will open their LL and DL test slots every Tuesday…..[Cont] pic.twitter.com/9PxKDVqM7g
— Department of Transport (@Dotransport) July 20, 2021
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