DA slates allocation of R134m to renovate vandalised Sebokeng licensing centre

The Sebokeng Driving Licensing Testing Centre (DLTC) in the Vaal, which was built for R78m and was vandalised despite R9.4m spent on security to guard it since 2019, has been granted an additional R134m to repair it.

Gauteng transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela revealed this at the legislature, saying this is one of the delayed projects that require “decisiveness and discipline in ensuring that they are completed and restored”. 

“It is one of those projects in the department that was faced with a lot of challenges and ended up being vandalised,” she said. 

According to Diale-Tlabela, R54,5m has been allocated for the 2025/26 financial year and R84m for the 2026/27 financial year. 

“The department of roads and transport has appointed the Development Bank of SA [DBSA] as its implementing agent to complete the project and restore the DLTC. Nothing has been paid to the DBSA so far, and the repairs on the project have not commenced.

“The department of roads and transport has appointed a public service productivity management framework for the project through our panel of consultants, that is done already and the site handover, according to our schedule,” Diale-Tlabela said.

However, DA MPL Kingsol Chabalala said money was being wasted on security companies that fail to deliver services.

“It is a travesty that this project, which has already cost taxpayers over R78m, has been abandoned and left to rot while residents are forced to commute or walk long distances to access DLTC services. It is equally absurd that millions of rand are wasted on paying security companies who fail to deliver services,” he said.

He said most companies appointed for security do not have the necessary services.

“So far, it has spent [millions], but what the residents of Sebokeng got is an incomplete and vandalised Sebokeng DLTC. The funny part, the DID [ department of infrastructure development] spent more than R9.4m on security companies to guard the facility and the worst part [is that] some of the companies appointed to guard the facility are construction companies that cannot provide security services,” he said. 

Departmental spokesperson Theo Nkonki said the facility was vandalised before the site was handed over to them. 

“Furthermore, there was no formal handover of the site to the security team by either the project manager or the contractor. As a result, the site was found to be unsecured and unattended. Since the appointment of security in 2019, security management has never encountered any security breach on site since inception,” said Nkonki.

Since 2019, the department has used six companies to guard the property. Red Hawks Army Protection Projects were used twice recently, totalling a bill of R4.2m, whereas Action Sounding Trading Projects had the smallest bill of R455,400 in the 2020/2021 financial year.

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