Strike over Gauteng driver licence booking system

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Jamie McKane

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Strike over Gauteng driver licence booking system

Inefficiencies and glitches in Gauteng's new online driver licence booking system have led to South Africans becoming increasingly frustrated and unable to renew or apply for their driver's licences.

The National Driving School Association has staged protests at various licensing centres throughout the province over the past week, complaining about the online booking system.
 
It lauded the effect of the online booking service in protecting South Africans from COVID-19 and removing the inconvenience of queuing early in the morning to renew or apply for licences.
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Except it doesn't. A colleugue queued for 3 hours, got to the front of the line and was then told they couldn't help him because he had to book online. So he booked online, for another date, went back on the date he booked for, and had to again queue for 3 hours.

So the booking system not only still made him queue for 3 hours, but he had to do it twice because they wouldn't help him without a booking. What about people who don't have access to the online booking system? Are they sol?
 
You can't disrupt what doesn't work. There is no service delivery any more.

After much frustration I managed to get a priority slot at my local centre. When I got there I was rudely greeted with "where's yo citificit, where's yo citificit". Much frustration later I get to someone who I thought would help me. Only for them to explain that their equipment isn't working and I need to get an eye test certificate at my own cost and then come back on the same day. Just for giggles I pop in to Torga when I pass by. They say they do it for R50 but they don't have certificates any more. This is the case with all their branches. Apparently they're lying and they no longer do eye tests at the centres. So the most inefficient system just got even more inefficient.
 
The driving schools will be upset about this. In the past when I went to renew my license, the schools would be leading groups of people past the queues and directly into the center. No waiting required. They are now expected to have their trainees stand in queue as if they were ordinary people.
 
Swa said:
Just for giggles I pop in to Torga when I pass by. They say they do it for R50 but they don't have certificates any more. This is the case with all their branches. Apparently they're lying and they no longer do eye tests at the centres.
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Specsavers @ R90.00 (which used to be free)
 
My drivers license is still valid until june/july... I hope the problems are sorted then. Can't just take a half day or a full day just to get my drivers license renewed. Got stuff to do.

What I can well confirm is, car license disc renewal was fast. -- YMMV. (Only applies to Gauteng?) Go to the eNatis website, and your renewal form should be there (after you got an SMS for said vehicle), ready for download. Printed it out, gone to the nearest Post Office, and 10 min later, done, have the paper/disc in my hand.

I think to save time, would go to a optometrist and get that eye test...
 
Son had a renewal beginning of Feb at Akasia. Online booking painless, afternoon booking at 14:00 , was there 45min before time of appointment. Went in , already had eye test done, was out by 14:15
 
garyc said:
The driving schools will be upset about this. In the past when I went to renew my license, the schools would be leading groups of people past the queues and directly into the center. No waiting required. They are now expected to have their trainees stand in queue as if they were ordinary people.
Click to expand...
Also driving schools somehow managed to book people for driver's renewals, because they had direct access to e-natis and another reason why it was difficult to book yourself.
 
The system is reportedly very slow
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How is it that in the 10+ years that eNaTIS has been in use the issue of ‘the system is slow’ has not been fixed?!

In every other industry this would be a death sentence. Imagine a shipping tool used for time sensitive exports being excruciatingly slow or a web app that does not scale with demand. Game over. But licensing, no problem. It’s slow, just wait.

I guess not enough people give a damn and not enough complaints are sent to the department...
 
mypetcow said:
How is it that in the 10+ years that eNaTIS has been in use the issue of ‘the system is slow’ has not been fixed?!

In every other industry this would be a death sentence. Imagine a shipping tool used for time sensitive exports being excruciatingly slow or a web app that does not scale with demand. Game over. But licensing, no problem. It’s slow, just wait.

I guess not enough people give a damn and not enough complaints are sent to the department...
Click to expand...
TIA.
 
mypetcow said:
How is it that in the 10+ years that eNaTIS has been in use the issue of ‘the system is slow’ has not been fixed?!

In every other industry this would be a death sentence. Imagine a shipping tool used for time sensitive exports being excruciatingly slow or a web app that does not scale with demand. Game over. But licensing, no problem. It’s slow, just wait.

I guess not enough people give a damn and not enough complaints are sent to the department...
Click to expand...
Doing things right wasn't exactly a priority for the past ten years, capturing the state and looting it dry was the number 1 priority.
 
mypetcow said:
How is it that in the 10+ years that eNaTIS has been in use the issue of ‘the system is slow’ has not been fixed?!

In every other industry this would be a death sentence. Imagine a shipping tool used for time sensitive exports being excruciatingly slow or a web app that does not scale with demand. Game over. But licensing, no problem. It’s slow, just wait.

I guess not enough people give a damn and not enough complaints are sent to the department...
Click to expand...
It is being used as a political weapon.

https://www.iol.co.za/news/r10m-corruption-alleged-in-tussle-over-enatis-8349628

This saga is probably still ongoing.
 
Swa said:
You can't disrupt what doesn't work. There is no service delivery any more.

After much frustration I managed to get a priority slot at my local centre. When I got there I was rudely greeted with "where's yo citificit, where's yo citificit". Much frustration later I get to someone who I thought would help me. Only for them to explain that their equipment isn't working and I need to get an eye test certificate at my own cost and then come back on the same day. Just for giggles I pop in to Torga when I pass by. They say they do it for R50 but they don't have certificates any more. This is the case with all their branches. Apparently they're lying and they no longer do eye tests at the centres. So the most inefficient system just got even more inefficient.
Click to expand...
Most Opticians and Optometrists do the test for free. And issue the "citificit". At Centurion, they only have 3 stations, of which most times only one is working. Either the system is broken or there are not enough operators.

Covid rules are complete chaos. ( This BTW, is the model centre the "Taxi Driver" lauded and paraded on TV).
 
Geoff.D said:
Most Opticians and Optometrists do the test for free. And issue the "citificit". At Centurion, they only have 3 stations, of which most times only one is working. Either the system is broken or there are not enough operators.

Covid rules are complete chaos. ( This BTW, is the model centre the "Taxi Driver" lauded and paraded on TV).
Click to expand...
Maybe some independent ones but the big chains all seem to charge now and I can understand that seeing hygiene protocols. The big thing that gets me is that there's no warning and they even say you can do it at the testing centre. Then when you get there there's no way to have the test done in time because everyone is rushing at the same time.
 
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