The City of Cape Town is in the process of devising operational plans for the return to service of Driving License Testing Centres (DLTCs) in the metropole.
There has been confirmation from the National Transport Department that DLTCs in metropolitan areas will reopen on 1 June 2020.
For the City, there is much to consider around the safety of clients, but also staff members, in relation to the health and hygiene protocols in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, the sanitisation of shared spaces, advancing social distancing and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
DLTCs are arguably among the busiest City spaces, which means that extra care and attention needs to be placed on the protocols to ensure that we are able to deliver a service with as little risk as possible.
We note the announcement that these spaces be opened from 1 June and will initially service the needs of essential services workers. The City is committed to this target date, but will only open the doors if we are completely satisfied that all necessary health and safety measures are in place.
While we have yet to finalise the ‘new normal’ at our DLTCs, things to consider could include:
- A limit on the number of persons allowed to move through the DLTC on any given day
- Sanitation measures for fingerprinting and eye testing equipment between users
- Regular cleaning of counters and waiting areas throughout the day
We are facing an unprecedented situation and we urge the public to cooperate with us as we navigate this great unknown.
It is also possible that we may have to amend our plans with time, as safety protocols are updated.
The City will convey more details on the operations at DLTCs as they become available.
In the interim, we would like to remind the public that a 90-day grace period will be in place for documents that expired during the lockdown period (26 March 2020 – 1 June 2020), including:
- driving licences
- learners’ licences
- temporary permits
- professional driving permits (PrDPs)
- roadworthy certificates
- the registering and licensing of a motor vehicle, as well as annual renewal
The grace period will be useful in avoiding a rush on our DLTCs when they reopen, as people now have more time to renew their documents.
For persons with outstanding warrants, magistrates are currently postponing cases for a period of three months at a time, until court proceedings are able to resume.
Motorists are still able to use online payment methods to settle outstanding fines during this time. They can do so via paycity.co.za or paymyfines.co.za. Payment options are outlined on the back of the fine document. Alternatively, more information is available here: http://www.capetown.gov.za/City-Connect/Pay/Driving-and-vehicles/Fines/Pay-your-traffic-fine
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Issued by: Media Office, City of Cape Town
Media enquiries: Alderman JP Smith, Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, City of Cape Town, Tel: 021 400 1311 or Cell: 083 675 3780, Email: jean-pierre.smith@capetown.gov.za (please always copy media.account@capetown.gov.za)