The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality is taking steps to ensure that it immunises its drivers’ license testing centres against fraud and corruption and also bringing a regulatory environment to the driving school industry.

A task team that will restore order and bring reforms to the industry know as the Join Working Committee (JWC) has been set up.

The JWC started its work in earnest this week focusing its energies on the Brakpan Testing Centre which was until now closed following allegations of fraud and corruption.

The municipality has since instituted disciplinary action against affected examiners with four of the cases now concluded and two still being finalised. Of the four finalised cases two employees were dismissed, one was given a written warning while the other was cleared of charges.

“The Joint Working Committee will use Brakpan Testing Centre as a pilot project for a new booking system and its audit requirements. This follows the overhauling of the previous booking procedure. The Centre will be opened on Monday, November 19 for bookings and start testing on the following Monday,” explains Vusi Thabethe, the director of Licensing in Ekurhuleni adding that the municipality is determined to is set to transform Brakpan Testing Centre into a well-functioning centre.

The JWC is constituted by representatives of the driving school associations operating in the region together with officials from the municipality. There are currently four active driving school associations in the region.

“Two representatives per association were nominate together two members from the municipality in order to form the Joint Working Committee,” Thabethe explains.

The committee will also preside over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The associations have agreed in principle to sign the MoU which will see a closer relationship between all stakeholders in the driving school industry with a common shared vision to deal with fraud and corruption as well as developing a new set of values.

The JWC will also deal with formulating the code of conduct, lack of transparency, training and accreditation of instructors, regulation and formalisation of the driving school industry, access to licensing services and facilities (bookings and practicing facilities).

In addition, the structure will also look at introducing a computerized learner licence testing system and a cooling off period for people who have just received learners licence before they can apply for the licence. The committee will also develop and manage database of driving schools and improve communications with them.