Issuing of driver’s licences back on track

THE labour dispute which has seen a delay in the issue of driver’s licences has been resolved.

This is according to the Department of Transport (DoT), which advised in a statement that the employees who were contracted to the Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) and who had been involved in the dispute since August this year would be resuming their duties, pending the finalisation of the dispute at the General Public Service Sector Bargaining Council.

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The dispute occurred during the annual production system maintenance period, when production machines are serviced.

In September 2018, the DLCA implemented a contingency plan in order to catch up with the production of the driving licence cards. This saw cards being produced, but at a slower pace.

Since then, more than 800 000 cards have been printed and some 500 000 cards dispatched.

Those who applied after September 2018 have been issued their cards. However, there is still a backlog of 90 000 cards to be printed. This will affect applications made in July and August.

The DoT added that these orders had been prioritised for printing in the next three weeks.

As an interim measure, the department advised motorists to apply for a temporary driving licence card – valid for six months – which will ensure that they are compliant with traffic regulations.

Applicants can check the status of their cards by SMSing their ID number to 33214.

The department apologises for the inconvenience caused as a result of the delays. 

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