Paper shortage at Gauteng DLTCs forces motorists to print own forms; touts sell them for R30

Motorists visiting the Randburg Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) were told to download and print their own application forms after the facility ran out of standard printing paper. According to The Citizen, the guidance to print forms themselves came when the centre could not provide the usual on-site DL1 and LL1 documents.

What happened at Randburg DLTC

The Citizen reports that 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 instruction applied to those confirming bookings or writing learner’s licences, and to those confirming bookings for driver’s licences.

The situation prompted suspicion because some applicants ended up paying touts outside the centre as much as R30 for forms that were meant to be free, The Citizen says. The sale of official application forms to members of the public is prohibited.

City response and cause

Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Superintendent Xolani Fihla confirmed the shortage and said it affected all City of Johannesburg-managed testing centres. He linked the issue to administrative delays around the start of the new financial year and the expiration of the city’s previous paper supply contract.

“The temporary paper shortage is administrative and linked to the natural expiration of the City of Johannesburg’s previous paper supply contract.”

Fihla said the city was finalising a replacement supply contract and exploring procurement of pre-printed forms through Government Printers to ease pressure on local printing. He described the current measure advising applicants to download and print forms from the NaTIS website as a temporary workaround to prevent turning people away.

Receipts printed but not forms

The Citizen says it has seen a copy of an A4 confirmation receipt printed on the back of an official application form, a detail that appears to corroborate the shortage of standard A4 paper for printing the forms on-site.

Unauthorised sale of forms condemned

Fihla told The Citizen that selling official application forms is illegal and that the Public Safety Department condemns the exploitation of members of the public by opportunistic individuals operating outside testing centres. He said DLTC management and JMPD officers monitor precincts to try to curb unauthorised touting and that any alleged links between vendors and internal staff or contractors would be investigated.

“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.”

Uneven impact across centres

The Citizen reports that the shortage’s impact may not be uniform: a source close to a testing centre south of Johannesburg said there were no issues at the Xavier DLTC, though the source could not comment on other nearby centres.

What residents were told

Fihla reiterated that standard policy requires DLTCs to provide official forms free of charge on-site, and apologised for the disruption while saying the procurement process was being expedited to restore supplies.

“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.”