Pretoria - In an effort to curb road fatalities and root out corruption within the transport sector, the Gauteng Department of Transport has prioritised the rollout of testing centres.
The government is targeting initiatives to benefit previously disadvantaged communities the most.
MEC for Transport and Logistics, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, said as part of the government’s elevated priorities, it wanted to ensure that people in townships, informal settlements and hostels, would benefit directly from initiatives set up by the transport sector.
Diale-Tlabela spoke at the first Vehicle Testing Stations conference in the West Rand District last week, which coincided with her first 100 days in office programme since taking over from Jacob Mamabolo, who was moved to the finance portfolio by Premier Panyaza Lesufi.
She said the conference provided a platform to exchange ideas and debate some critical issues affecting the sector.
It also afforded representatives of the sector an opportunity to present various solutions to the department, aimed at addressing challenges experienced at vehicle testing stations, as well as measures to reduce road fatalities.
Corruption and challenges with these stations were brought to the fore last September, after an investigation uncovered a total of 4 912 fraudulent transactions at driving licence testing centres in Gauteng.
At the time Road Traffic Management Corporation chief executive, advocate Makhosini Msibi, said the actual total amount that relates to fee dumping and fraudulent transactions stood at R1.4 billion.
Although Msibi couldn’t elaborate on the matter as he said it was sub judice, he detailed that the transactions were conducted between January 2008 and March 2016, with a combined value of about R39 million, but it could be more.
Addressing delegates at the conference, Diale-Tlabela called on the sector to assist and partner with the government as it strived to bring development and economic growth to spaces where the people lived.
The seminar also discussed compulsory periodic testing of vehicles, training of young people as examiners, as well as ideas on how to maximise economic spin-offs through Public-Private Partnerships.
“As part of our elevated priorities, we are saying people in our townships, informal settlements and hostels need to be the direct beneficiaries as we roll out the testing stations in the province. Our goal is to, among others, re-position and align Gauteng Vehicle Testing Stations to the department’s “Smart Mobility” plan; increase the economic spin-offs of testing stations through Public Private Partnerships; create a corruption-free environment; as well as increase accessibility of testing stations in the townships.”
Stations played an important role in reducing road fatalities by improving the quality of licensing services offered in both private and public facilities, boosting resources and stepping up the fight against corruption and other irregularities that affect roadworthiness, she said.
Pretoria News