MEC Jacob
Mamabolo has announced that as of Monday, 16 November 2020, all Gauteng Driver
Testing Licensing Centres (DLTCs) will dedicate 70 percent of booking slots and
capacity to driving licenses renewals in order to address current
backlogs. 
The announcement
was made following a meeting with the Road Traffic Management Corporation
(RTMC), Driving License Card Account (DLCA) and Members of the Mayoral
Committees in all municipalities and districts on Wednesday, 11 November 2020. 
Remarking of this
development, MEC Mamabolo said "working together with all the
stakeholders, the province will ensure that 70 percent of all slots made
available to the DLTCs will be dedicated exclusively to processing driving
licenses renewals on a daily basis. DLTCs Managers who undermine this directive
will be dealt with harshly and face possible suspension”. 
He added that "we
have also taken a decision that available capacity in the DLTCs such as
equipment, machinery and staff will be dedicated to addressing the backlog in
driving licenses renewals". 
The MEC further
added that a Provincial Management Operations Centre will be established to
monitor the activities of DLTC’s on a daily basis as well as to ensure that the
decisions taken at the meeting are implemented. 
"There
would also be a dedicated team to maintain and service the equipment and
machinery that is used to process the driving licenses renewals on a regular basis,"
added the MEC.
With effect
from December 2020, the Department will commence with forensic investigation
into allegations of corruption, bribery and collusion reportedly taking place
at DLTCs across the province. 
"While the
current Covid-19 pandemic has had a huge impact on the driving licenses
renewals backlog, it has also laid bare the fact that over the years, the
DLTC’s have not been functioning optimally. The DLTC’s capacity has not been
increased to match the demand and the pressure brought by the growing
population”.
"However,
we are confident that with the decisions we have taken today, we will be able
to address the backlogs. In partnership with RTMC, we will also be piloting the
use of mobile units in order to increase the capacity of the facilities and
provide a better service to the communities," said the MEC.