Having a driver’s licence and being able to operate a motor vehicle is no longer just a luxury, it has become a requirement for securing employment opportunities.
Since the beginning of this year, the City of Ekurhuleni in partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Department of Education, have been on a drive to equip high school learners from across the region with driving knowledge whilst they are still in school.
The Grade 11 and 12 classes of 2015 are the first beneficiaries of this initiative and the scholars are set to receive their learner licences, which will be valid for a period of two years, for free.
“The aim of the project is to instil the culture of adhering to the rules of the road in young people’s minds, as well as to do away with the irregularities of acquiring driver’s licences,” says Ekurhuleni spokesman Themba Gadebe.
With the department of education being the financial muscle for this project, the driver’s licence testing centres will offer professional services such as the applications for learner licences, issuing of learner licences and learner licence classes for the scholars.
Grade E Satellite Driver’s Licence Testing Centres, currently located in Tsakane and Thokoza, are also involved in the project.
The satellite centres also offer services such as the renewal of motor vehicle licences, application for the renewal of driver’s licences and the renewal of public driving permits to the community at large at normal municipal licensing tariffs.
The centre’s operating hours are from 8am until 3pm during weekdays, and they also operate on Saturdays from 8am until noon so as to accommodate the scholars.
The centres close on the last Saturday of every month.
Schools that are interested in enlisting in the programme may contact Ronald Fillies on 011 999 0227 or ronald.fillies@ekurhuleni.gov.za for more information.
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