Fifty young people from Seawinds, Vrygrond and Lavender Hill will be taken through a Driver’s License Programme next year that will enable them to obtain an official driving license.
‘I welcome this initiative from Subcouncil 18 to take our young people by the hand and empower them in this way. One of the most sought-after skills by employers is the ability to operate a vehicle safely and legally. By equipping community members with these essential skills, backed up by a valid driver’s license, the City of Cape Town is helping to improve their employability,’ said Alderman Grant Twigg, Mayoral Committee Member for Urban Management.
During the 2019/20 financial year, Subcouncil 18 established a Driver’s License Programme, which was identified as part of the Community Action Plan for the identified areas. The selection criteria was unemployed youth between the ages of 18 and 35 and a valid learner’s license.
‘I realised that I needed to expand the Driver’s License Programme to other parts of my ward, which are not included in the Mayoral Urban Regeneration Programme (MURP) to afford young people in these communities, based on the same criteria as the last financial year, the opportunity to empower themselves with a driver’s license,’ said Councillor Shanen Rossouw, Ward 110 Councillor and Chairperson of Subcouncil 18.
Councillor Rossouw will be reprioritising projects in the January Adjustment Budget 2021 to the value of R250 000. This allocation will mean that 50 learner drivers receive the following:
- 20 lessons per learner driver;
- Booking fee per learner driver for the driver’s license pass out test;
- 4 x photographs for each learner driver to enable the booking of a driver’s license appointment;
- Car rental for the test date per learner driver;
- 5 extra lessons per learner driver for the retest, should they not be successful on their first attempt at passing their driver’s test.