How has the transformation of acquiring a driver’s license affected society?A drivers license today is one of the core prerequisites for employment, not only in South Africa, but across the world. It is therefore important that the system and procedure of acquiring a license is strictly and properly managed. With all the changes that have occurred at licensing centers around South Africa, I guess the real question is "has the transformation in the process of acquiring a drivers license affected society, and if so, how?"
It’s clear that the new procedure of obtaining a drivers license is affecting society in different ways. To gain some depth on this issue Mr S. Ndlovu was interviewed, because he had the opportunity of experiencing both the old and the new procedure of acquiring his driver’s license. "The new procedure is much better because there is lesser opportunity for corruption and unfair treatment", he told our interviewer. Mr Ndlovu also went on to say that there is now no more room for error since there is no human intelligence involved in this process therefore what you get is totally dependant on your performance in whichever test you are doing and not on the officers experience or knowledge.
Public impression in the local press is given that the new system does not accommodate the needs and expectations of those who are in need of a driver's license. Most people think that it is better if the test is not computerized because a computer is just a machine, programmed for perfection with no room for error, whereas if an instructor was in control, he is more flexible and not confined to exact measures. This is not to say that instructors should be blind to the mistakes of those tested and/or rely on bribery to further their own personal interests. With human beings, there is no perfect and exact method of driving.
To equally represent two generations' view on this topic, Mr B. Ngcobo, who worked as a driving instructor for more than seven years was interviewed. Speaking from experience, Mr Ngcobo argued differently to Mr Ndlovu, in that the old method was better then the current method. To support his argument Mr Ngcobo said that "the new method of acquiring a license was done through computer and therefore could not be trusted, since computers were just mere man-made machine which could malfunction at any time and end up causing more harm than good when testing learner drivers". Mr Ngcobo also went on to say that he was utterly disgusted that officials at testing centers con learners applying for drivers tests by initiating bribes in order to get earlier test dates or preferential treatment. Driving school instructors are no longer allowed to register for their students’ tests and bookings must be done by the applicants themselves.
To add insult to injury the new drivers licensing legislation (where people have to go to test centers which are near their area of residence) has come under a lot of criticism mainly from driving instructors who have lost a lot of business because of the new legislation. An instructor who was interviewed said that the main problem he has is that when clients come in to learn how to drive he has to turn their business down because proof of residence is not supplied. Because the clients are not aware of the new legislation, instructors end up losing a lot of business. However he strongly feels that the government is fooling around with legislation without consulting the relevant stakeholders.
After all the pro’s and con’s have being taken into account, and having interviewed a diverse range of individuals on the topic at hand it shows that the new system might have more cons then was initially thought. This is shown in the large number of failures within the Rossburgh testing grounds.
Writer - Siyabonga Nkabinde
Interviewer – Manelisi Ndlovu
- Thaba Mchunu
Researches – Michael Mlungisi
- Matalimo Selebalo
Taxi drivers('the bad guys') voice out.The issue of getting a driver's license has erupted a lot of questions in regards to who is at fault for the mass accidents that kill a dozen people everyday in Durban and the whole of South Africa in general. In the eyes of many, taxi drivers seem to be number one on the list followed by drunk drivers who are mainly youngsters. In order to get to the bottom of this matter, I thought it would be interesting if the 'bad guys' would say their minds.
This task was not easy for me as im not zulu and most of those i interviewed prefered to be addressed in their vernacular language but a settlement was arranged so we got down to it. From one of the taxi drivers' point of view(prefered to remain anonymous), accidents are indeed
accidents. If anybody should be blamed for the faults that happen on the roads then it should be all road users. He went on to explain that a distinct group of people should not be highlighted as the bad guys because it's not all taxi drivers who are bad drivers. "A large number of this 'kids' who just got hold of their licences don't seem to know exactly what is required of them on the roads", said one of the drivers.
Among other opinions was one that suggested that they(taxi drivers) are actually people who are good at what they do since everyday of every week they wake up to drive. So it is very absurd to claim that a person who does the same thing each day of their life can find themselves still being bad at it. Yes there are some rotten potatoes in the bag but not all are rotten. Others indicated that driving a taxi is a very difficult job as each moment entails being responsible for the lives they are carrying hence they have to be aware and awake in order to get from point a to b.
The other taxi drivers stated that all they are doing is trying to get food on the table for their families hence they try to do their jobs the best way they know how. They rounded up by telling me that if they didn't do their jobs properly then they would be job-less but since they are still behind the wheel that means that they are doing as they should.
This aspect of matters left me very dumbfounded as I never imagined I would get such well reasoned explanation of the taxi drivers. This then leaves the question open- WHO IS TO BLAME? In fact, IS THERE A NEED TO BLAME ANYONE? Isn't it up to each and everyone of us, South Africans to always drive as careful as possible each moment of each day?.....DRIVE AS WELL AND DISCIPLINED AS YOU WERE THAT FIRST DAY YOU WERE BEHIND THE WHEEL!
On the 31st of October 2006, our group decided to take the plunge in visiting the Ross burgh licensing department in the hope of trying to discover some of the problems that people and the officials at the department are faced with. We were also trying to discover possible suggestions or solutions that the applicants and officials may have in mind, in order to resolve the problems that hinders the process, when one tries to obtain a learners license or driver’s license.
On the arrival at the grounds, much to our dismay, we were faced with our first problem of trying to get a chance to meet with one the main officials, however after a long period of time had been wasted in waiting for him ; we were told, by him that he was busy and it was suggested that we should interview one of the driving instructors.
Fortunately, the driving instructor that we were told to meet, happened to be in sight and available to give us an interview with him. The name of the instructor was Mr. Neville Meth whom pleasantly answered our questions. We had possessed the following four questions to him:
If the settings of the cameras in vehicles could be reduced?
To which replied that he thinks that there is no need for the cameras to lowered. In fact he thinks that the cameras play an integral part in the new system as it helps to combat corruption with regards to the driver and the instructors. Corruption in the sense that if a learner claims that the instructor attempted to or did try to ask for a bribe whilst in the car, the camera will be able to pick up that and therefore help to decide whether the learner is placing false accusations. The cameras further assists the instructors by picking up the minute faults that at sometime the eye might miss, this helps the instructor when he/ she tries to accumulate the points to decide whether the learner has passed or failed the driver’s test.
Do you feel that there has been enough people employed to ensure "speedy" service in the application sector?
He said that there are not enough people employed in the department, thus resulting in the long lines that one has to endure in order to apply for a date for their tests (learners or driver’s).
Do you feel that the new system is here to stay?
Since August the learner has a choice of either using the driving school car for the test or he/she could use the car provided by the department but has to pay a fee of R500.He also said that as far as he is concerned or to his knowledge the new system is here to stay since it has already made a difference in the number of people that have passed their tests. Although one thinks that there is high rate of failure with regards to the driver’s test, this, however ensures that there are competent drivers out on the road and gives us a sense of safety whilst we are on the road.
Statistics: Before and after the implementation of cameras with regards to the number of people passing their driver’s test
In January the number of people that passed their driver’s test was 800, whereas in September the number has been reduced to 300.
Apart from interviewing the instructor, people that were following the lines to apply were also asked about the problems that they thought that posed as a challenge in acquiring a driver’s license. Their responses were:
Problem:
Cameras intimidate the driver’s to an extent that they become nervous and concentrate thus causing them to make mistakes and therefore fail.
Solution:
Ø Cameras should be hidden instead of mounted in direct view of the driver to decrease their nervousness.
Problem:
Long queues to follow to add to the frustration people "cut" the line. Also theft occurs in the line.
Solution:
Ø There should employment of more staff.
Ø Current staff should be supervised in order to make sure that they are working at an effective rate since it is known that some people can be lazy, hence do less work.
Ø There should be someone (maybe a security warden) to point people to the right queues and tellers, since some people just stand in the long lines only to find that they are in the wrong queues they to the teller.
Ø Also, certain days can be allocated to certain to certain distinct tasks; Mondays and Tuesdays can be days when people just go for their learner’s bookings, tests and drivers tests. Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays are set aside for drivers renewals.
Problem:
Bribery
Solution:
Ø An effective suggestion could be that the instructors should be alternated for certain periods of time. This might not necessarily stop corruption but it will help decrease the problem.
Despite all of the problems, fortunately solutions have been suggested. Hopefully these solutions could be brought to the attention of the officials at the department and would thereafter be implemented and taken heed to. Thus ensuring a smoother operation at the licensing department at Rossburgh!
Our group members:
1. Jeofrey
2. Thabani
3. Matalimo
4. Karis
5. Seetha
To view this article on unlicensed.co.za,
click hereTo view the pictures,
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Another edition for unlicensed,another stream of fun. Since this time the focus is on solutions of driver's licensing, i found it quite amusing as to uncover what ideas people would offer. So my group(Jeofrey,Dube,Seetha and Karis) decided to focus on solutions for the long queues at Rossburgh, the bribes claimed to be given to instructors and if the settings of the computer-testers can be lowered since most people regarded them as being too strict.
So the five of us headed off to Rossburgh on tuesday morning in Karis' dad's van and once there Karis and i interviewed people in the long queues while Seetha and Dube interviewed Inspector Neville Meth and Jeofrey took pictures. As the interviews went on, i made a discovery that most people thought that the department is understaffed hence more staff should be hired. And once this is done, there should be supervision in order to make sure that the staff works at an effective rate since some can be lazy and hence do less work.
They also suggested that there should be an assigned person, maybe a security warden to point people to the right lines as a large number of people find themselves in the wrong queues. Another suggestion that i found very intriguing was one that said certain days can be allocated to specific tasks; mondays and tuesdays can be days for learner's bookings, tests and driver's tests. While Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays can be for driver's renewals and so forth.
The issue of bribery seemed more difficult to tackle as a large mass of interviewees didn't have a way out for this issue. They said that no matter how hard the we try, the issue of corruption is never going to end. "It is part of us and only when we dont exist will corruption cease." said Mr Khumalo. As the crowd was beggining to convince me in this invincible matter, a certain Mrs Sayid suggested that maybe if instructors were to be switched from one department to another for certain periods of time then that might help reduce the level of corruption curently reigning. She went on to say that although this will disrupt the lives of this instructors, it will be worth the trouble in the long run.
In terms of the new system being altered according to the desires of society, the inspectors did not seem shaken. As Inspector Neville Meth explained, " The new system is set in line with the level of competent drivers. If you fail with this new system, that means you are still approaching the rank of competence." He went on to say how the department is happy about doing their job because if they do their job properly, they let drivers out onto the road and save a million lives of this nation. Inspector Meth was very confident with the new system and explained that it does not take a single fault detected by the computer to fail a peson but a certain amount of point accumulated by multiple faults. Also, there now exists a choice of either using your own car or the department's.
Although some problems at Rossburgh seem invincible in the eyes of those affected, a large number of them appear to have solutions hence a way forward can be implemented in order to help make Rossburgh a fair, 'non-corrupt' department where Durbanites can feel free and just to be served.
