Joyce Banda to scrape off driving license renewal, start K10bn revolving fund
People’s Party (PP) president Joyce Banda has made a landmark announcement that she will abolish regular and frequent motor vehicle license renewals as she will scrape off driving license expiry dates if she wins the May 21 2019 Tripartite Elections.
Banda, the former president who governed Malawi between 2012 to 2014, made the announcement at a rally she held in the capital, Lilongwe on Thursday, December 27.
The former president said most motorists find it difficult to have their driver’s licenses renewed now and then.
” If I get back into power, be assured that once you get a license, that should be fine. The process of license renewals is becoming a burden to many,” said Banda.
The former president said she is concerned with socio-economic empowerment of the people which she claimed has not improved since she left office in 2014 and announced she will set up a revolving fund in a bid to uplift small scale businesses.
Banda said she believes that there is a way to help the vulnerable and the underprivileged, a social responsibility a government can undertake to uplift lives of its citizens.
The former Malawi leader said provision of loans for small scale businesses, rural housing projects such as well as social cash transfer are at the centre of her heart.
“I know people are struggling, there are not employed, they lack business capital and the taxes are too much for them. To improve their economic life, my party has set aside K10 billion for a revolving loan fund to uplift lives,” said Banda, who was named in a recent survey conducted by Zomba-based Institute of Public Opinion and Research (Ipor) between August and September this year that she is the most trusted leader.
Banda said she will introduce many programmes to uplift lives of all citizens.
She also promised to improve the energy sector with rural electricfication and bring an end to blackouts.
The PP leader said that she has all along been an advocate of rural electrification saying portable and accessible energy is the way to go in a quest to deal away with wanton cut down of trees, as a solution to environmental degradation.
On agriculture, she promised a universal fertiliser subsidy programme to enable all farmers access farm inputs.
She also said she will renovate existing universities instead of constructing new ones.
Meanwhile, Banda is scheduled to hold another rally at Bembeke in Dedza before proceeding to Zomba on Sunday.
Why not reduce the amount needed to obtain a DL and have it renewed every 4 or 5 years? Plus remove all the corruption at The Dept. of Road Traffic. That’s what makes sense. Amayi act like you we’re in the US.
JB’s shallow thinking worries me. And we want her to lead us again?
Zimenezo ndizimene ” azungu” anawauza kikikikikikikiki
That is why Zimbabwe is as poor as we are. Drivers licences must be renewed periodically. The period should have a locked minimum one can pay say 3 months and a few options for how longer periods e.g. 6 months, 1 year, 2 years. Money collected from drivers licence subscriptions can help in transport infrastructure projects and etc. If she removes renewals, then where will extra money to maintain road infrastructure and other transport related things come from?
Most asinine suggestion I have ever heard from a Presidential candidate in this country. Ever. Even a person who has not gone beyond Primary School in this country can come up with ten good reasons when drivers’ licenses need to be renewed. Is there a good country on earth where this is not done? Where is Joisi Banda getting her ideas from anyway? Or does she dream them up in sleep, and says “eya” apa ndiye ndalota zoona? Apparently she’s still thinking like a 1969 form four student at Providence, and she hasn’t developed much intellectually since then. How sad… Read more »
She was in self imposed exile for 4 years in the USA, she didn’t learn anything?
Zimbabwe is not the only country where an ordenary driving licence is for life! Of course it is a very populistic approach, but let’s face the facts: Our Road Traffic Department is next to Lands Department and ESCOM the most corrupt institution in the country! Joyce Banda might believe through cancelling the renewal of the driving licences the workload at RTD goes down and the services for the other licenses and permits will improve and will shortening the long waiting hours? But people with extra money and little time know what cuts down time there, it’s called corruption! This is… Read more »
In Zimbabwe domestic drivers licences are for life. Check your information before you comment. Some of these actions by government are revenue collection attempts
All driving licenses are for life even in Malawi. But government needs to time and again check who owns them, change security features etc.
Now tell me what is going on with the Zimbabwe economy………..it’s in the toilet right?
Asaaaaaah, this woman has either:
1. No advisors
2. Terrible advisors
3. Does not listen to anyone ( womva zake)
4. She is retarded
5. All the above
Pick the answer that best describes this absurdity
Aaah. I pick No. 5 basi.
Even in the UK they renew driving licences to curb fraudulent acquisition of licences, to check driver’s fitness, to fight crime etc. Kuganiza mobwelera mbuyo JB. She should have said atalikitsa period yochita renew driving license osati kuchita srcap. PiPiPi (PP) ya Joyce Banda yanyamuka ulendo wapita ku 2019 elections!