Driving schools protest over online licence booking system

A strike by the National Driving School Association of South Africa (NDSASA) against the electronic National Administration Traffic Information System (eNaTIS) led to the temporary closure of licensing departments around Gauteng from 28 February to mid March. The issue was resolved when the booking process reverted back to a simpler, earlier version.

Driving school owners took to the streets to protest against the revised online booking system implemented on the eNaTIS system. The system had been updated with new features that required personal details of clients such as email addresses, which not all clients have, as well as usernames and passwords.

Tirelo Matlala (35), the owner of Tirelo’s Driving School Academy, said that the online booking system was not user-friendly and driving schools struggled to make bookings. Finding booking slots were difficult and there were technical glitches.

“The online booking system puts pressure on the poor community, highlighting that not everybody has access to the booking system,” Matlala said during the protest. 

Matlala indicated that the difficulty of the new system had contributed negatively to their businesses and the services they offer to their clients. “Bookings cannot be made or confirmed easily on the system, which has caused chaos.”

Solomon Mokone (58), chairperson of the Vanderbijlpark licensing department and secretary-general of Sedibeng driving school, said NDSASA met with advocate Makhosini Msibi, CEO of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RMTC), and Phalama Mamabolo (53), MEC of roads and transport in Gauteng, where an agreement was made to temporarily return to the previous online system, which does not require usernames and passwords. Driving schools will now also be able to create corporate digital accounts to simplify the booking process.

Mamabolo revealed that his office was not aware of the complications caused by the changes in the system and how ineffective it had been, especially for driving school owners.

Tshediso Lenake (35), centre manager at the Vanderbijlpark licensing department and James Dlangamandla, member of the mayoral committee for transport and infrastructure, were both pleased with the outcome of the meeting.

All licensing departments and driving school operators have returned to using the old online reservation system.