By Isaac Salima:
Network challenges have resurfaced at the Directorate of Road Traffic and Safety Services (DRTSS), with sources attributing the problem to Malawi Transport Information System (Maltis)’s failure.
Maltis servers handle all essential services of DRTSS and have been run by South Africa-based companies, Motor Vehicle Spares and Accessories (Movesa) and Fischer Consulting, for some time.
However, for the past five weeks or so, motorists have been struggling to get services due to network problems.
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This is happening at a time the government, through Attorney General Thabo Chakaka Nyirenda’s office, has been struggling to take over management of the system.
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The problem actually started before he assumed office, as it can be traced back to about seven years ago.
Our recent visits to DRTSS Southern Regional office in Blantyre found motorists in long queues as they were waiting for network hitches to be addressed.
The majority of service seekers were minibus drivers, who lamented that they were being fined over category requirements.
“We are being fined for failure to produce category cards. DRTSS has resumed fining drivers over issues of category.
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“However, when we come here, we are made to wait for hours on end due to network problems,” Misheck Maliwa, a minibus driver from Mbayani Township in Blantyre, told us.
One day, commotion ensued as minibus drivers protested that they were spending valuable time on queues when they were supposed to be on the road.
Police officers from Blantyre Police Station had to be called in to calm the situation.
During the past week, network challenges persisted.
This prompted Minibus Owners Association of Malawi (Moam) to write DRTSS, asking for the suspension of fines over category requirements to January next year.
“It will be impossible to issue PSV licences to all drivers at once. We kindly ask for a waiver. We seek a grace period lasting up to 15 January 2025. This will give us ample time to sensitise our driver,” a letter signed by Moam general secretary Coxley Kamange reads.
A source at DRTSS in Blantyre said network problems were not only affecting people that needed category cards.
“It is not the issue to do with categories only. The problem is everywhere. Those who want to take aptitude tests have been struggling; this is also the case with those that seek driving licence services,” he said.
DRTSS Director General Andrew Sandula was yet to respond to our questionnaire as we went to press.
The Maltis system has been operated from South Africa and, upon expiry of the contract with the government, the firms were, in 2017, told to handover its management to Malawi.
They are yet to.
“This is a challenge because whenever there is a problem with the system, you have to report to the operators from South Africa,” said a source at DRTSS in Blantyre.
Chakaka Nyirenda recently told us that they were taking the matter to court after being fed up with the companies’ promises.
“We engaged their lawyer some months ago who pleaded with us not to take the matter to court. I contacted him some two weeks ago and they have not complied with what we agreed and we are proceeding with court action,” Chakaka Nyirenda said.
The firms’ lawyer George Liwimbi also said that they were waiting for the government to respond to issues they raised when they wrote the AG’s office.
“We are waiting for them to respond to what we wrote to them,” Liwimbi said.
