A first-of-its-kind driver testing technology aimed at tackling fraud and corruption at Driver Licence Testing Centres throughout the province was launched by MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison Mr. Bheki Ntuli on Tuesday, 3 December.
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Dubbed e-driver, the initiative is part of the strategic interventions to produce eligible and legitimate drivers with a view to reducing crashes and fatalities on the road.
Ntuli, together with the Police Provincial Commissioner, Lt General Jula, kickstarted the day with an integrated cordon-and-search operation in the Durban CBD where they arrested 31 people found in possession of drugs and other dangerous weapon. The raid was a show of force and strength ahead of the festive holidays.
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The police raid was preceded by a visit to Rossburgh DLTC to launch the driver testing technology. Ntuli said The Rossburgh Testing Centre was chosen for the launch because it was one of the centres where allegations of corrupt activities have long been the case.
“Corruption was rife in this DLTC and I am confident that this system will clean all the corrupt activities not only in Rossburgh, but in all 55 DLTCs in the province. It monitors everything, even the conversation between the candidate and the instructor throughout the testing process. As a Department, we are taking advantage of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Technology will go a long way in assisting us to create a new generation of drivers,” he said.
Ntuli said the province would not tolerate any corrupt activities.
“ I want everyone to know that our province is a no- nonsense province, and I am warning all motorists that we have reached a stage to take no nonsense when it comes to incompetent and reckless drivers, hence our theme of Repositioning KwaZulu-Natal as a Zero Tolerance Province” said Ntuli.
As part of the intensified law enforcement plan, Ntuli and Jula participated in a multi-disciplinary road block on the N3 in Marrianhill. This operation saw one Malawian motorist arrested for failing to produce his documentation. Other road infringements included two overloaded vehicles, five unlicensed vehicles, five drivers with no drivers licences, and one un-roadworthy bus was suspended. Roadblocks will be mounted across the province as part of the integrated traffic law enforcement operations.
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