Parliament, Wednesday, 23 March 2021 – The Select Committee on Transport, Public Service and Administration and Public Works and Infrastructure today heard that there is a
huge backlog caused by the closure of licensing centres due to a number of reasons namely; COVID-19, corruption, faulty equipment and downtime-systems at licensing centres in many provinces but largely in Gauteng.

The Select Committee received a briefing by the Department of Transport on progress made to address the backlogs in the renewal of driving licences and on the details of the memorandum of understanding entered into with the Health Professions Council of South Africa.

The committee noted that the Department of Transport issued a one-year grace period for the renewal of licences from 31 March 2021 to 31 March 2022. This applies to the temporary licences, professional driving permits and licences for those with learner licences. The total backlog of driving licences that expires by 31 March 2022, stands at 2.1 million nationwide. Nationally more than 1.2 million licences out of a total of 2.8 million expired licences are yet to be renewed. The department was requested to look at alternative ways to deal with the drivers licence backlogs such as extended hours.

The committee also considered the legal opinion on the constitutionality of the draft regulation 116A in terms of section 75(6) of the National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act No 93 of 1996). The committee resolved that the Department of Transport withdraw the draft regulation and allow the parliamentary processes to amend the National Road Traffic Act, 1996 (Act No. 93 of 1996) (NRTA) to be completed in which the areas the draft regulation seeks to address would be covered through the National Road Traffic Amendment Bill [B 7 – 2020] which is currently being processed by the Portfolio Committee of Transport in the National Assembly.

ISSUED BY THE PARLIAMENTARY COMMUNICATION SERVICES ON BEHALF OF THE CHAIRPERSON OF THE SELECT COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORT, PUBLIC SERVICE AND ADMINISTRATION AND PUBLIC WORKS AND INFRASTRUCTURE, MR KENNY MMOIEMANG.

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Name: Sureshinee Govender
Parliamentary Communication Services
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