The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Gauteng calls on the Gauteng Department of Transport MEC, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela to urgently address a 40 000 backlog of unissued driver permits. This backlog is causing significant disruptions for motorists, forcing them to operate illegally and severely impacting key industries, including the taxi and e-hailing sectors.
This information was revealed by the department during the Roads and Transport Portfolio Committee meeting last week after the DA raised questions regarding the allocation of permits, highlighting complaints from motorists who have been left stranded and unable to drive legally. These frustrations have even led to large-scale protests across the province.
“It is concerning that the department continues to fail motorists by not finding ways to expedite the process of issuing operating permits within the regulated timelines. It is also troubling that the department continues to issue more permits while failing to address the backlog, which is holding thousands of motorists at ransom,” said Evert du Plessis MPL, DA Gauteng Spokesperson for Roads and Logistics.
“The DA has long criticised the slow pace with which the department issues permits. This delay is primarily due to two known factors: hold-ups at the provincial and local government levels. Despite this, little to nothing has been done to streamline processes between these two levels of government and eliminate the unnecessary delays,” says Du Plessis.
Rather than accepting responsibility for its shortcomings, the department has demonstrated that it is overwhelmed by blaming drivers who are victims in this scenario. The taxi industry alone generates thousands of jobs that support many families. Consequently, undermining such an industry due to administrative incompetence is intolerable.
The DA reiterates its demand for the department to find ways to eradicate the backlog and end the suffering of motorists who want to abide by the law but are not given the opportunity to do so.
A DA-led Gauteng provincial government would ensure that it addresses the permit backlog efficiently while maintaining fair and transparent processes for drivers who have long been left without information about how this process should unfold.
The DA is dedicated to ensuring that Gauteng motorists are not penalised by a department that is struggling to fulfil its primary responsibilities.