Durban - Rossburgh Driver Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) services have been relocated to Pinetown after the DLTC was damaged in the recent floods.
This was announced by the Department of Transport, Community Safety and Liaison MEC Peggy Nkonyeni.
The MEC had visited the DLTC to assess the damage at Rossburgh and was briefed by the management team.
The DLTC was completely damaged due to recent floods.
This is the third time that the station has been flooded. As a long-term solution, the department is exploring the possibility of relocating the entire office to an area where it will not be in danger of being repeatedly flooded.
After the inspection, Nkonyeni announced that services will temporarily be relocated to the Pinetown DLTC.
“This is the biggest station in the province, hence we have taken the decision to prioritise attending to its challenges. The recent floods completely destroyed many key work areas of the centre and it will remain closed. We have agreed that Pinetown will be used for issuing licences. The bookings that have already been made in Rossburgh will continue in Pinetown during the weekends. We deeply apologise for the inconvenience caused to our applicants, but we wish to assure them that we are doing all we can to restore the services,” Nkonyeni said.
Nkonyeni said the licensing section was the most important as the country chased the backlog created by Covid-19 and the subsequent extension by the minister of transport.
The department said that the information technology equipment with the National Traffic Information System (eNatis) system was all damaged. Nine patrol vehicles belonging to the department were also damaged.
According to the department, the station is the third biggest in the country, processing more than 32 000 applications a month. The most critical services offered include learner’s licences, driver’s licences, licence renewals and professional driving permits.
The department said the Road Traffic Management Corporation will assist the department in setting up a eNatis line in Pinetown while the damage is assessed.
It added that the Department of Transport was engaging with the Department of Public Works in procuring temporary office accommodation to ensure that service delivery is not affected.
Daily News