{"id":54248,"date":"2019-10-03T06:00:28","date_gmt":"2019-10-03T04:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/hundreds-ready-for-collection-20191002-2\/"},"modified":"2019-10-03T06:00:28","modified_gmt":"2019-10-03T04:00:28","slug":"hundreds-ready-for-collection-20191002-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/kougaexpress\/hundreds-ready-for-collection-20191002-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Hundreds ready for collection"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n H<\/span>UNDREDS of driver\u2019s license cards are awaiting collection at Kouga Municipality\u2019s Traffic Department in Humansdorp.<\/p>\n

Kouga Community Services Portfolio Councillor Daniel Benson said local residents were among the thousands of motorists affected by the countrywide delay in the printing of driver’s license cards.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany motorists who came to renew their licenses at the Kouga Traffic Department or who passed their driver’s license tests have had to wait a very long time for their cards,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe printing of cards is the responsibility of the national Department of Transport. The delay was caused by a labour dispute between the Department and the service provider they had appointed to print the cards.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are relieved that the national Transport Department has finally started catching up with the backlog, as it has been a source of great frustration for Kouga residents as well.\u201d <\/p>\n

He said that while the national Transport Department\u2019s service provider would usually notify motorists that their driver’s license cards were ready for collection, this has not been the case with the backlog.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis means hundreds of driver’s license cards have arrived at the Kouga Traffic Department without motorists having been informed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will, therefore, be posting the lists of names of those whose driver’s license cards have arrived on the municipal website. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll motorists who have been affected by the delay, are asked to check if their names are on the list. The information will be updated, as more cards are received,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

Then Transport Minister, Blade Nzimande, earlier this year issued an apology to South Africans for the delay. He said his Department had issued a directive to provincial and municipal traffic authorities not to penalise motorists who did not have driver’s license cards despite having complied with the prescripts of the application and renewal process.<\/p>\n