Final countdown for drivers

2003-04-15 23:55

Gerjo Hoffman and Rajaa Azzakani

Cape Town - Motorists caught without credit card licences after April 30 face stiff fines and will have to retake their learner's and driver's tests.

Failure to make the cut-off date also means they will only legally be allowed back on the roads by the end of June, traffic officials warned on Tuesday.

Western Cape transport department spokesperson, Phumzile Simelela, said anyone caught driving without the new licence after April 30 could be fined up to R14 000.

Western Cape transport minister, Tasneem Essop, called on all those who had not yet applied for a new licence, to do so as soon as possible. "The cut-off date won't be extended again," she warned.

The transport department has admitted it will not be able to accommodate all motorists who still needed to switch to the new licences in the eight working days remaining.

Senior national transport official Lisa Mangcu, said 1.072 million drivers had yet to apply for new licences.

Western Cape road infrastructure director Peter Beets, said on Tuesday fewer than 400 drivers a day were applying for new licences in the province, although an estimated 153 000 still needed to make the switch.

Mangcu said the national daily rate of conversion was 4 500. Earlier he said licensing offices had reached full capacity in February when they processed 45 000 applications a day, about 220 000 a week.

If the department continued at this rate, only 405 000 conversions could be done, which would leave more than 667 000 drivers without valid licences.

- Die Burger