The provincial traffic department says it is working hard to intensify the fight against the illegal issuing of driver´s licenses. The MEC for Roads and Transport, Ms Pinky Kekana, said in a statement last Thursday that her department was working with the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) to investigate these types of crimes.

According to Kekana, the investigations, which commenced in 2007, revealed that driver´s licenses had been issued while numerous discrepancies occurred. These included calculation errors, no eye tests were conducted, road test times were less than required, yard test times were less than required, application forms were not fully completed and the K53 procedure was not adhered to (test reports signed by examiners who did not conduct the tests).

"As a result, 1 183 driving licenses were cancelled and 61 examiners were suspended from the eNATiS system," said Kekana. The affected driving license testing stations are: Sekgosese, Marble Hall, Lephalale, Mokopane, Tzaneen, Blouberg, Phalaborwa, Makhado, Polokwane and Bochum.

Kekana added that her department is currently utilising the anti-fraud and corruption unit and the SAPS to investigate corrupt practices at driving license testing stations. "Currently, we are investigating two such cases. The department has also deployed computerized learner license testing systems to 15 driving license testing centres, as a way to prevent corruption," she said.

Kekana has ordered that these computerised learner license testing systems be rolled out to the remaining 17 testing centres in the 2012/13 financial year.

She added: "The department has assisted driving school operators to develop their own structures, in order to better manage their operations. The National Road Traffic Act does not cater for operations of driving schools, which makes it difficult for the department to manage illegal operations on the part of driving schools. However, nationally, there is a draft bill which will compel driving schools to register with the department."

According to Kekana,” the high number of cancellations of driving licenses and suspension of examiners provides tangible proof that Limpopo is taking the lead in efforts to clear the fraud rot which exists in testing centres throughout the country”.