THE Department of Transport has set the record straight following reports that Mzansi’s only functioning driver’s licence card production machine is broken.
Minister Fikile Mbalula said they have noted with concern media reports that indicated that the machine has broken down and that South African motorists could face further delays when renewing their licences.
He said the department wishes to state as a matter of fact that the machine is in full operation and motorists who wish to apply or have applied for renewal of their driver’s licence cards can be assured that there will be no delays in the printing and issuing of their cards.
Mbalula said the driver’s licence card production machine has had glitches in the recent past, resulting in a backlog of driving licence cards.
“Since then, however the machine is constantly under maintenance and lose monitoring.”
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“We made an undertaking to the South African motorists and members of the society at large that we shall ensure that the driving licence card production machine returns to full steam operation and the card licence backlog is cleared. We have fixed the machine and we have kept our promise,” said Mbalula
He said they are happy to announce beyond any doubt that the machine is operating at full steam.
He said: “As stated before, the machine is able to print over 300 000 licences in a month, so there is no backlog. We are going to keep it that way. As will be expected, glitches might be experienced at some point, but the team is keeping a close eye on the smooth operation machine.”
The minister said the Driving License Card Agency (DLCA) is constantly working closely and together with the original equipment manufacturer of the machine to address and deal with any likely glitches that may hamper the smooth functioning of the machine and to acquire any parts that may be required should such glitches be experienced.
