LOUIS TRICHARDT – Following two very quiet months at the licensing department of the Makhado Municipality, the pace picked up dramatically as the deadline of midnight, April 30 neared.

Mr Mavhungu Musitha, Director Community Services of the Makhado Municipality kept a close eye on the progress of the conversion of driver's licences to the new credit card format. After the deadline of 28 February had expired and an extension of two months had been granted, the huge crowds at the municipality dwindled to a mere sixty applicants per day on average.

Mr Musitha said that more than half of the applicants are from outside the Makhado Municipal area, from areas such as Thohoyandou and Sekgosese. He said on April 23 that he did not know where all the drivers were who were supposed to apply for conversion.

At that stage it was speculated in the media that 200 000 of the more than a million drivers who had not yet switched to the new credit card format licences, might be dead. Senior transport official Lisa Mangcu said that his department had applied to Home Affairs for death records. This was to investigate the extremely low number of people applying for the new licences.

The revised figures indicate that there could be in the region of 400 000 drivers countrywide who have not yet converted their licences. This includes the number of people who have passed away since 1998 but whose details are still on the system, people temporarily working overseas and those who are unable to afford the cost of the conversion.

In the Limpopo province the number of drivers who still have to convert their licences are given as 15 000. In the Western Cape the number is 114 000. On Saturday, April 23 the licensing department of the Makhado Municipality opened its doors till 13:00. Mr Musitha reported that only twenty-three people turned up. Because of the lack of response the offices were not opened on Monday, April 28, which was a public holiday.

On Tuesday (April 29) people came alive and a dramatic increase in numbers was experienced. At noon Mr Musitha reported that 80 conversions had already been processed with about 250 people still waiting in the queues.

When the Makhado licensing office reached full capacity at the end of February, 360 licences could be processed per day. However that was when the licensing officers worked overtime from 07:00 till midnight. On a normal 08:00 to 16:00 workday full capacity constituted about 200 licences per day.

Considering those figures it could be estimated that the Makhado Municipality would be able to process between 700 and 800 licence conversions before the deadline.

Mr Musitha said this week that his staff of eight officials was prepared to work till late hours.

"If needed we will organise transport home for these officials," Musitha said. However, after the cut-off time of midnight April 30, late applicants would have to face the consequences.

Acting Transport Minister, Jeff Radebe warned explicitly that no further extensions would be granted for motorists to convert their licences. Lisa Mangcu this month warned motorists who failed to meet the April 30 deadline that they would have to forfeit their right to drive. Anyone caught driving without the new licence after April 30 could be fined up to R14 000. Drivers will have to reapply for learner's licence and driver's licence and will have to redo their driver's tests.

Meanwhile the Automobile Association retracted its earlier decision to apply for a High Court order to ensure that the old licence remained valid after April 30. The AA's decision not to go to court anymore was seemingly based on legal opinion and the revised figures showing that only 400 000 conversions were outstanding.