All smiles after making it to the top out of 18 contenders, finalists Bryce Pillay (left) and Shaheen Amlay will now battle for overall prize in in the third season of VW’s driver search programme. More racing on page 4.
August 23, 2018
Witness
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MOTORING ACROSS KZN SINCE 1904
Learners to book online New system aims to stamp out corruption by letting learner drivers choose test date and venue ALWYN VILJOEN THE Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) plans to launch an online booking system in September to combat corruption in issuing of driver’s licences to learner drivers. The new system will enable the learner driver to choose the date, time and the town where they wish to take their tests by logging on an online application and finalise pre-bookings in five to 10 minutes. The system will also be available to those wishing to renew their driving licence cards. National Traffic Anti-Corruption Unit spokesperson Simon Zwane said the current system “involves a lot of handling”, which creates opportunities for unscrupulous driving schools
and officers to block off days to “test” pupils who have already bought their licences. The current process requires applicants to queue for between 140-180 minutes at a testing station. Corrupt officials at the licensing centres have an incentive to withhold available bookings for lucrative payments from willing applicants. Zwane said the new system will benefit the public by promoting efficient service delivery, removing barriers to access, eliminating fraud and corruption and optimising business operations. It is also eliminating time and money used by applicants to travel to various licensing centres to secure bookings. The solution will also allow licensing centre managers to better prepare for volumes of ex-
A new online booking system aims to stamp out selling of driver’s licences across South Africa.
pected applicants and allocate resources accordingly. The system will first be available in Gauteng and while the RTMC has no dates for a nationwide roll-out yet, KZN is a high
Commuter and track racer in one RENAULT has shaken up the compact sports car segment by offering a four-wheel steering system in the new Renault Megane RS riding on the Sport and Cup chassis. At low speeds, the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels, up to a maximum angle of 2,7 degrees. Renault calls it 4CONTROL and said it really comes into its own on twisty, winding roads, the 20% more direct steering delivering incisive handling. Hydraulic compression stops on all four shock absorbers smooth out the bumps and bigger brakes stop the RS in a hurry. In the top end RS 280 EDC
priority for the corporation after it had revealed in May that as many as one in three licences in KZN have been obtained fraudulently due to rampant corruption.
In March, the RTMC and the Hawks arrested 15 people at the uMngeni Licensing Office in Howick, which only recently reopened. Those who were arrested included five officials from the licensing office, two traffic officers, nine learners’ applicants, and a cleaner. In May a couple were arrested at the Mkondeni licensing centre after a woman allegedly attempted to write the learner’s licence test on behalf of her partner. Three others were also arrested at the Estcourt licensing centre for fraud related matters. KZN Department of Transport spokesperson Mluleki Mntungwa said the department had suspended several inspectors and municipal supervisors who were responsible for testing sta-
tions and appealed to all applicants for learner’s and driver’s licenses not to engage any middle man and to refrain from any corrupt activities in acquiring driver’s licences. Mntungwa said the department was in the process of updating its systems and its technology to detect corruption. Advocate Johan Jonck, who founded Arrive Alive, said it was almost impossible to establish the real scale of the problem due to improperly-issued licences being indistinguishable from genuine ones on e-Natis. “It’s difficult to come up with numbers and to know exactly how many licences are awarded fraudulently.” Jonck said corruption threatening the safety and lives of everyone on the roads.
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The third generation of Mégane RS is now available at Renault. Prices for the five models start at R274 900 for the Expression, and go up to R549 900 for the 280 EDC Lux. PHOTO: QUICKPIC Lux, the 1,8 petrol engine is chipped to make 205 kW at a screaming 6 000 rpm, while 390 Nm between 2 400 to 4 800 rpm allows town driving.
The Lux rides five centimetres lower than the Megane, while the Cup has 10% stiffer shocks and a new Torsen mechanical limited slip differential.
Wheeled events SEEN here are riders in last year’s Ramasgate, billed as “Africa’s hardest one day enduro”. SA’s top crosscountry riders will again converge at Chertsey farm near Matatiele for this year’s edition on November 9-10. More on wforacing.co.za. • September 1: The Vintage Wheels club invites all V Dubb owners to join them at a fundraiser for local charities at the Dunning Country House in Howick. There will be live music, a fun run and walk as well as food stalls. The VW cars will be on display from 11 am. • September 8: Motorcycle display at the Vintage Sports Car Cub on 120 Oribi Road, starting at 11.30 am. • September 16: Red Bull Box Cart Race in Sandton. More info on redbullboxcartrace.com. • October 17: KZN Racing Cross Country at Boston. More info on www.kznracing.co.za. • October 27: Natal Motorcycle and Car Cub hosts Reach for a Dream children at a regional rally with Motorsport South Africa and Womza racers. See page 4 for details. • November 24-25: World Rallycross of South Africa at Killarney Raceway in Cape Town. PHOTO: WFORACING.CO.ZA
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