Mpumalanga clamps down on fake licences

Drivers of the Year prepare to compete to be region’s best ED RICHARDSON MPUMALANGA’S ROADS and transport department will intensify a programme to rid the province of motorists with fraudulent driver’s licences, reports BUA News. Announcing the winner of the provincial Driver of the Year competition, MEC Fish Mahlalela, said government lost billions of rand each year because of road accidents caused by motorists with fake licences. “There is a widespread driver’s licences scam that involves driving schools and (we) will ask the (national) department of transport to intervene to effectively regulate the industry,” he said. The national transport department initiated the Driver of the Year competition to recognise the country’s best heavy vehicle drivers. The overall winner of Mpumalanga’s Driver of the Year competition is bus driver Elijah Libjane. Libjane, who works for Buscor, was also the winner of the Bus Driver of the Year category. The winners for the rigid and reticulated categories were Mr RK Mahlalela of Komatiland Forest and Moses Mthimunye of Matla Coal respectively. The winner of the women bus driver category was Elsie Mahlangu of the Midbank Bus Company. The winners will participate in the national Driver of the Year competition in October. The national winners will then participate in an SADC and International competition which is to be held in Belgium.