Licences: Process to blame

2003-04-07 20:41

Cape Town - The fact that more than half of all drivers licences issued since 1998 are thought to have been issued in an irregular manner, is an indictment on the process that has been followed, the Democratic Alliance said on Monday.

"It also makes a mockery of the time and effort of thousands of honest motorists who have had to stand in queues for several hours to obtain their credit card format (CCF) licences," DA spokesperson James Selfe said in a statement.

The ostensible purpose of the CCF licences was to remove any possibility of fraud in the issuing of drivers licences, he said.

In a written reply to a question by Selfe in the National Assembly on Monday, acting transport minister Jeff Radebe said the department was currently involved in investigating alleged irregularities regarding the acquisition and issuing of drivers licences in all nine provinces.

"It is very difficult to make an accurate estimate of the number of fake or invalid driving licences.

"Based on an informal study, with samples and investigations with the South African Police Service from 1998, it has been estimated that more than 50% of all licences issued were issued in an irregular manner," he said.

In terms of the National Road Traffic Act, such a license is void and invalid.

"In cases where cards are issued in an irregular manner, licences are sold to applicants, eye tests are not done, applicants are not tested as prescribed, or not tested at all, and licences are being authorised by non-authorised examiners, etc," Radebe said.

10 000 'irregular'licences

The Scorpions special investigating unit began a forensic audit in Limpopo province more than three years ago.

More than 84 000 drivers license files from nine testing centres were scrutinised, and it was found that 10 000 licences had been issued irregularly.

This audit did not include criminal investigations where people "bought" their licences, but was only done on "face value" contraventions of the Act.

In Gauteng, among others, an estimated more than 5 000 fraudulent foreign licences, including Mozambican, Congolese, Chinese, and Pakistani licences, were converted to the new format.

About 1 000 fraudulent foreign licences were converted in KwaZulu-Natal, while an estimated 2 000 fraudulent Bophuthatswana licences were converted in Mpumalanga, and in the North West province between 3 000 and 4 000 licences were identified as void.

The process of cancelling all these licences was under way, Radebe said.

In his statement, Selfe said the department should, as a matter of priority, ensure that any official involved in the irregular issuing of drivers licences was brought to book.

These officials, and their accomplices, needed to be removed from the system and made to face the full force of the law.

The department should also start a thorough investigation into the validity of every South African driving license.

"Where fraudulent licences are discovered, these must be invalidated and the holders prosecuted," Selfe said.

- SAPA