Johannesburg - AfriForum has written to Minister of Transport Sindisiwe Chikunga regarding the broken licence printing machine.
The civil society organisation said that it was reported on May 3 that South Africa’s only licence printing machine had broken down again — less than a year since this happened the last time.
AfriForum said that the department would print driving licence cards again within two to three weeks.
"However, it’s more than a month later, and the department has not issued any updates on whether the machine has been fixed.
"AfriForum’s more than 310 000 members, as well as the public at large, deserve answers and clarity when it comes to this critical service the government is supposed to provide without complications or serious delays," said the organisation.
Campaign Officer for Strategy and Content at AfriForum, Ernst van Zyl, said that not only is the government unable to provide the basic service of licence renewal, but it also appears to either not have the ability nor desire to keep the public informed on the status of the problem it caused.
"That is exactly why AfriForum exists — to take the side of the public when the government does not. Make your voice heard with us at www.nodriversexpiry.co.za," said van Zyl.
The organisation has further requested that the minister of transport confirm whether the licence printing machine has been fixed or not and, if it is still not functional, provide AfriForum with a timeframe within which it will be fixed.
"In the context of these government failures and the ensuing backlogs, AfriForum will be in the Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, on August 7 and 8 to demand, among others, a declaratory order stating that the five-year validity period of driving licences is unconstitutional and that all fines issued for expired licences are unconstitutional," AfriForum said.
Last month, the printing machine for licences was broken, and the department had said that it would be back in service in three weeks’ time.
Spokesperson for the national Department of Transport, Collen Msibi, had reassured members of the public that the production of driving licence cards would not be affected by the routine maintenance of the card production machine.
"The department has therefore encouraged members of the public to continue applying for their driving licence card as normal."
The Star