DA CALLS FOR DRIVER'S LICENCE AUDIT

Beware of identity fraud people. This is the start of something again! Before long we will be fed the usual BS about how the "new system" is flawed and they will dream up yet another way for us to spend our hard earned money or lose our licences again! What a crock of S*&T!

DA calls for driver's licence audit

March 26 2007 at 03:36PM

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called for a full performance audit of the credit card-type driver's licence system, from its inception to its implementation. The audit should focus particularly on the process leading to the involvement of jailed businessman Schabir Shaik and his company, Prodiba, DA spokesperson Stuart Farrow said in a statement on Monday.

The credit card-type licence system had been surrounded by controversy since its inception, with the latest scandal being the bribes allegedly paid to former transport minister Mac Maharaj and his wife Zarina by Shaik's companies to have the licence tender awarded to Prodiba. "While it is important to get to the bottom of the bribery allegations, it is even more important to ensure that South Africa has a secure and rigid licensing system in place to prevent improperly-trained drivers from exacerbating the carnage on our roads," Farrow said.

'It is even more important to ensure that South Africa has a secure and rigid licensing system 'The performance audit should, among other things, provide a full account of all funds spent on implementing the new licence system and production of licences, and investigate whether all tender and accounting procedures were adhered to. It should also establish the comparative advantages and drawbacks of the credit card-type licence system over the previous ID-book driver's licence system, and whether the time spent and the expense incurred by millions of South Africans in obtaining and renewing the licences were justified. "With respect to the former transport minister, should there be confirmation that the credit card-type licence system was indeed beyond reproach, it would certainly strengthen any evidence that Mr Maharaj could offer to refute the allegations against him," Farrow said. - Sapa