​Rofhiwa Tshitahe-Marubini 
To reduce driving licence card renewal backlogs in the province, the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT) has opened the second state-of-the-art smart Driving Licensing Testing Centre (DLTC) at the Centurion Gautrain station.
The centre is one of four new stations set to be delivered by the department, together with the Gautrain Management Agency (GMA) and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).
The department opened the first pilot DLTC at the Gautrain station in Midrand in June 2022.
The centre, built using alternative building materials, is completely off the grid, guaranteeing customers minimal disruptions, quick, and convenient service along the Gautrain line.
Speaking at the centre's opening on Tuesday, 9 September, MEC for Roads and Transport, Jacob Mamabolo said the services form part of the provincial government's commitment to exploring new technologies and process optimisation while addressing maladministration, fraud, and corruption, which has been reported at testing stations.
"The new generation testing centre offers efficient service standards and serves as models for future ones. It also gives us an opportunity to address various issues raised in the forensic investigation report into allegations of corruption at our testing centres," Mamabolo explained.
The new centre offers services such as applications for driver's licence and renewals, issuing temporary driver's licences, and paying traffic fines.
The centre will only offer cashless services and will operate from 8 am-5pm  Monday to Friday and from 9 am-3 pm on Saturdays and Sundays.
Residents who wish to renew their driver's licences can download the Request a Slot app which allocates a booking slot within 30 days.
Online bookings are also available at: https://online.natis.gov.za.
Meanwhile, the department has flagged thirteen officials in connection with corruption at DLTCs after their assets and salaries did not match.
During lifestyle audit investigations, the thirteen officials failed to provide supporting information, such as bank statements, to justify assets. 
This was revealed in a forensic report into corruption at testing centres.
"We conducted lifestyle audits on 912 Gauteng DLTC officials by considering assets owned by credit commitments and salary information of these officials.
"Our starting point was officials with multiple vehicles registered in their names which were also not financed. From this exercise, we identified 13 officials whose assets and credit commitments were not commensurate with their salaries," said Mamabolo. 
The report found that some officials have multiple streams of income that were not declared to the employer, contravening the law.
The Office of the Premier commissioned the investigation as part of building a capable, ethical and developmental state.
An independent firm, Ligwa Consulting, was appointed in 2021 to lead a forensic investigation into allegations of corruption, online booking process, allocations of slots for learners and drivers' licence testing, allegations around "fee dumping", operational deficiencies of the Live Enrolment Unit ("LEU") system currently utilised for eye testing and collusion between examiners. 
The report noted that there were insufficient controls in place to ensure that fraud and corruption are identified or deterred whilst examiners conduct the drivers' tests.
In most instances, Mamabolo said there are no CCTV cameras in place in both the yard and within the DLTCs, especially over the computerised learner's licence testing venue, to flag potential irregularities.
Additionally, the introduction of the online booking system created new opportunities for "runners", who acted as intermediaries to profit from the system. 
The report found that out of over 570 000 online bookings, 2304 mobile numbers were flagged to have made five online bookings in close succession. 
 Mamabolo said his department is dealing with the findings expeditiously and efficiently.