R30 for a free form? Paper shortage at Gauteng licensing department opens door to touts

The JMPD has condemned the unauthorised sale of forms. Motorists visiting the Randburg Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) this week were told to download and print their own application forms, after the facility ran out of standard printing paper. The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) on Thursday confirmed that the shortage was not isolated to Randburg, but affected all City of Johannesburg-managed testing centres. Some applicants ended up paying touts outside the centre as much as R30 for forms that were meant to be free. What happened at Randburg DLTC According to an account given on Wednesday, a member of the public who visited the Randburg DLTC on Tuesday to confirm a booking was informed that applicants needed to download and print their own DL1 application forms. The requirement applied to those confirming bookings or writing their learner’s licences, as well as those confirming bookings for driver’s licences. “Printers were working because they gave out paper receipts after paying.” This raised questions about why the forms themselves could not be printed on-site, even though it remained unclear at the time whether the centre was, in fact, experiencing a shortage of printing materials. Responding to this on Thursday, JMPD spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla confirmed that the problem was real and citywide. “City-managed DLTCs across the City of Johannesburg are currently experiencing a shortage of standard A4 printer paper. This issue is not isolated to the Randburg DLTC but affects all City of Johannesburg-managed testing centres and municipal administration offices,” he told The Citizen. Because the centre did not hand out the forms, applicants were left to print their own, which fuelled suspicion among members of the public about whether the situation amounted to a money-making scheme, since people were seen selling the forms for R30 outside the DLTC. “No one was forced to go to these people, as some people went to print their forms at nearby internet cafes or printing shops,” a source said. Official guidance contradicted by on-the-ground experience The account from the Randburg DLTC appeared to run contrary to guidance published on the official government website, which states that applicants do not need to bring their own blank application forms. According to the government, the physical DL1 and LL1 forms should be provided directly at the DLTC for applicants to fill out on-site. Fihla confirmed that this was indeed the standard practice, explaining that forms are usually printed for applicants on arrival. “Under normal operational procedures, application forms such as the LL1 (Learner’s Licence) and DL1 (Driver’s Licence) are downloaded directly from the NaTIS portal and printed on-site for applicants.” Why receipts kept printing while forms did not One point that puzzled the public was why confirmation receipts continued to print normally while application forms did not. The Citizen has seen a copy of an A4 confirmation receipt printed on the back of an official application form, apparently corroborating the shortage. Fihla added that a fix was already underway. “A replacement supply contract for standard A4 paper is being finalised to resolve the situation across all municipal centres.” Root cause linked to expired supply contract Asked what had caused the shortage in the first place, Fihla attributed it to administrative delays rather than a broader supply crisis, linking it to the lapsing of the city’s previous paper contract at the start of the new financial year. “The temporary paper shortage is administrative and linked to the natural expiration of the City of Johannesburg’s previous paper supply contract.” “Because we are at the start of the new financial year, procurement workflows, specifically loading the new demand plan onto the system to finalise purchase orders, are currently underway.” Beyond the standard paper contract, the city was also said to be exploring alternative supply routes through the state printing agency. “Additionally, follow-ups are actively being made regarding the procurement of pre-printed forms directly through Government Printers to relieve pressure on local printing.” Temporary workaround and policy on free forms Under standard policy, DLTCs are required to provide official application forms on-site at no cost to members of the public, something Fihla confirmed remained the rule. “Standard policy dictates that DLTCs provide official application forms on-site to members of the public free of charge.” Given the current constraints, however, he said the city had adopted a temporary workaround to avoid turning applicants away. “In light of the current administrative supply constraint and to prevent service disruptions or turning away applicants who have booked appointments, applicants are temporarily being advised that they can download and print the required LL1 and DL1 forms from the official NaTIS website before visiting the centre.” Turning to the sale of forms by touts outside the Randburg DLTC, Fihla stressed that the forms are public documents supplied free of charge by the municipality and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) through NaTIS, and that selling them was against the law. “It is unauthorised and illegal for private individuals or touts to operate outside municipal facilities and sell official application forms to the public for private gain.” He said the department was aware of the practice and had measures in place to try to curb it. “The Public Safety Department strongly condemns the exploitation of members of the public by opportunistic individuals operating outside testing centres. DLTC management, alongside JMPD officers, monitors some of these precincts to curb unauthorised touting.” He also warned that any staff involvement in the scheme would be taken seriously. “Any alleged link between unauthorised vendors and internal staff or contractors will be thoroughly investigated, and strict disciplinary and legal action will be taken against anyone found to be complicit.” Fihla apologised for the disruption and gave assurances that the matter was being resolved. “We apologise for the inconvenience caused to members of the public and assure residents that the procurement process is being expedited to restore standard paper supply across all DLTCs as quickly as possible.” Situation appears to vary between centres Not all DLTCs in the greater Johannesburg area appeared to be experiencing the same disruption. A source close to a testing centre south of Johannesburg told this publication that there were no issues at the Xavier DLTC, though the source could not comment on conditions at other centres in that immediate area, suggesting the shortage’s impact may not have been uniform across the city.