SOUTH AFRICA - ISSUING OF DRIVERS LICENSE BACKLOG TAKEN CARE OF AS 60000 LICENSE CARDS PRODUCED PER MONTH

The backlog in the issuing of drivers’ licences is being cleared.

A systems upgrade to production machinery, as well as a labour dispute, resulted in some 2000 licences not being issued.

The Transport Department had to introduce contingency plans to recover production time lost during a strike last year.

Once an agreement was reached with employees, working hours were increased to clear the backlog.

“We had a team of officials working around the clock to produce the driving license cards. We came up with a plan and there’s been a team of colleagues doing what they had to do,” said Maputla Makgatho from the Transport department.

An issue during the strike was the department's decision to outsource a contract with Prodiba for licence card production.

The Driving Licence Card Account eventually opted to in-source and the strike ended.

The Department believes efficiencies have improved.

“In terms of our turn around times we produce cards within a period of seven days. We’ve kept to that. It’s in our APP that we need to do that,” Makgatho added.

The Department says some 60,000 drivers’ licence cards are now being produced every month.

via - ENCA