To ensure efficiency and modernisation, the Department of Transport has invested in the digitisation of roadworthiness testing.
On Monday Deputy Minister, Mkhuleko Hlengwa launched the digitised Vehicle Testing Station (VTS) in Middelburg. According to Hlengwa, the initiative will assist in improving services, enhance road safety and reduce corruption taking place.
“It is an urgency and need in light of the challenges we have of unroadworthy vehicles, corruption, verification, testing and accreditation. It also pushes back to the frontiers of accidents costing us 12000 lives every year to a cost of 19 billion rands. This does not only cause strain to the but the health sector as well, particularly, the trauma units, Hlengwa said.
The system also carries a geo wall feature which only allows the vehicle to be tested in stations unlike in the past where traffic officials were able to test vehicles outside the testing centres. The system worth over 40 million rands is linked to the National administration traffic information system (NaTIS) to ensure efficiency and to deal with the human element of corruption.
Hlengwa also added that a zero tolerance approach will be implemented during the festive season.”To support this approach, we will establish required conditions for compliance ensuring that appropriate vehicles are on our roads,” he said.
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Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) Chief Executive Officer, Makhosi Msibi confirmed that the new system is already in operation in over 300 of the 508 testing stations across the country.
“This intervention is consequent to the investigation of fraud and corruption in all our DLTCs but significantly to curb in terms of road unworthy vehicles in our roads to curb that statistics. What we did is to digitalise the system, ordinarily in the past we had to do testings manually”.
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A motorist, Musikayise Nkosi said he is confident that this will eliminate accidents in the roads ” I think the system will help to reduce accidents on our roads. The government must also arrest corrupt officials who takes bribes from drivers who do not follow the laws,” Nkosi said.
