MEC: Driving schools should oust corruption in Mpumalanga

Driving school owners must be whistle-blowers and anonymously report officials or examiners who demand bribes at driving licence testing centres (DLTCs).
This is according to Mpumalanga’s MEC for the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison (DCSSL), Vusi Shongwe.
Shongwe met with some driving school owners in Mbombela on November 24.

Some recent allegations were made by these owners regarding corruption in the province.
They complained that certain officials at the Nelspruit DLTC were demanding an increase in bribery money paid towards the acquisition of driver’s licences.

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The MEC said driving school owners must refuse to give these officials bribes, as they are not only robbing them of their hard-earned money, but the state is also losing revenue as a result of illicit transactions and fraud committed by dishonest individuals.
“The corruption in licensing must be rooted out, because it does not only undermine efforts to make roads safer, but it also puts the province in a bad light. We must all work together to end corruption,” said Shongwe.

He also called for the strengthening of working relations between the DCSSL and driving schools, saying that such partnerships will go a long way towards enhancing road safety in the province.
“Driving schools are important because they train future drivers. They are further contributing to job creation by employing people to train learner drivers,” he said.

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The MEC stated that, as part of ensuring uniformity in the sector, a database of all driving schools must be developed and updated on a regular basis.
He lambasted owners who paid bribe money to obtain earlier bookings, often at the expense of others who are then denied such opportunities.

Some of the owners who attended the meeting with the MEC said there was an urgent need for driving schools to be regulated.
They insisted that once regulatory mechanisms are in place, it would eliminate any possibilities of wrongdoing in the sector. They also believe they will assist in curbing the mushrooming of what they referred to as “fly-by-night” or “phoney” schools.
Legitimate driving school owners also blamed corruption in licensing departments on bogus driving schools allegedly owned by corrupt officials and examiners.