The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has criticized government’s decision not to extend driving license card validity from five to eight years, contrary to an earlier undertaking.
In 2022, former Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula indicated that a new card would be tested and that the five-year validity period would be extended to eight.
OUTA has now questioned a statement from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) CEO, Makhosini Msibi that many accidents on South African roads relate to infectious and other diseases, making regular eye tests crucial.
OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage says they found no research to support Msibi’s statement.
“You know we find it very strange that they make statements like that for the reasons given not to extend drivers’ license period and then don’t provide any proof any research to indicate that many accidents are caused by infectious diseases to the eye and so forth. Around the world there are drivers’ license period for 10 years in most countries, in fact in some it’s 15 and in one country, I think it’s 20 years, in India. So why would we be so unique.”
