Please find attached soundbites in English and Setswana by Sello Seitlholo MP.
- An ANC Ward 18 candidate is advertising the “official handover” of 20 learner’s licences to community members in Magogong.
- The same announcement states that there are “no age restrictions”, despite legal age requirements applying to learner’s licences.
- The DA will seek clarity on exactly what is being offered, how beneficiaries will be selected and whether the prescribed licensing process will be followed.
The Democratic Alliance in Greater Taung will write to the Chairperson of the North West Legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Community Safety and Transport Management, Adv Freddy Sonakile MPL, seeking clarity on an advertised “official handover” of 20 learner’s licences in Ward 18, Magogong.
A Facebook post by ANC Ward 18 councillor candidate Dumisani Poloko Xhali invites interested community members to participate in what it describes as the “official handover of 20 Learners Driver’s Licenses” at Dipitsing Community Hall on 11 October 2026.
The announcement further states that there are “no age restrictions.”
This requires clarification.
We welcome genuine initiatives that help residents obtain learner’s licences. Access to a licence can open opportunities for employment and greater economic participation.
But a learner’s licence is not simply something that can be handed out.
Applicants are required to meet prescribed age requirements and follow the official licensing process, including applying through a Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC), meeting eyesight requirements and passing the prescribed learner’s licence test.
We therefore want to know exactly what the advertised “handover” entails.
Are the 20 beneficiaries being sponsored to complete the legitimate licensing process? Have beneficiaries already been selected and completed their tests? Who is funding the initiative? And why does the announcement state that there are “no age restrictions” when age requirements apply to learner’s licences?
If this is a legitimate programme assisting residents through the proper process, that should be communicated clearly and transparently.
Residents should not be left with the impression that a learner’s licence can simply be obtained from a political candidate at a community event.
The people of Greater Taung deserve opportunities that are lawful, transparent, genuinely accessible and clear information about exactly what is being offered.