​Rofhiwa Marubini​
Gauteng motorists whose driver's licences have expired will breathe a sigh of relief, as they have been granted an extended grace period for renewal.
On Friday Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula announced that all learners' licences, driving cards, temporary drivers' licences and professional driving permits that expired from the period 26 March 2020 to 31 August 2021 are deemed to be valid until 31 March 2022.
There are about 1.2 million (1,210,965), out of a total of 2.8 million (2,852,388), expired licences were due for renewal on a national level.
Gauteng province accounts for the highest number of licences that have not yet been renewed, at 437 819 out of a total of 980 038 of those that expired in this period.
Minister Mbalula said the extension will give motorists a fair opportunity to renew their licences, while the department is rolling out measures to improve efficiencies and resolve challenges in the department.
Mbalula said the backlog in Gauteng has had impact on law enforcement. 
"We remain concerned at this high backlog as it adversely impacts effectively law enforcement," said Mbalula.
"We are, however, more concerned about the reasons that give rise to this state of affairs," said Mbalula 
Two weeks ago, Gauteng MEC for Roads and Transport, Jacob Mamabolo, reported that there are complaints from motorists, who are saying that they are finding it difficult to get slots on the provincial online booking system.
MEC Mamabolo said the department has appointed renowned forensic investigation companies to bringing down and deep diving into this issue of manipulation of slots. 
"We will be making an impact on cracking the syndicates and networks of corruption that are making it difficult for everybody to get a slot.
"We have said to the investigators that they must act on every case once they have concluded it and they [must] have evidence that can stand the test of scrutiny," said Mamabolo.​