By Anna Shilongo
WINDHOEK
Cabinet has approved the granting of amnesty from February 1 to May 30, 2008 to motorists with outstanding vehicle licence fees and penalties for late payment.
The Roads Authority (RA) will soon mail out letters to motorists informing them about vehicles registered in names that have expired licences and whose licences have not been renewed over the past years.
Motorists who have not received such letters are encouraged to verify whether they have debts with NaTIS, says public relations officer of the Roads Authority, Audrin Mathe, in a press statement issued on Monday.
“The registering authority can perform quick checks on the system with the ID number or traffic registration number,” explained Mathe.
Motorists are urged to visit NaTIS and apply for amnesty, by explaining the correct status of the unlicensed vehicles, and completing forms for the status to be updated.
Mathe said vehicles that are permanently beyond repair would be deregistered as scrap, while vehicles that are stolen and have not been recovered will be deregistered as theft.
“Vehicles that have been exported to other countries are required to be marked as exported and those that have been sold need to be marked as sold, while those in a running condition or under repair should be re-licensed,” said the public relations officer.
Meanwhile, vehicles that require an annual roadworthy test are also expected to undergo the prescribed roadworthy test.
” If the vehicles are already currently under repair, the owner is still required to pay the amnesty period, because the licence disc will only get issued after the roadworthy test.”
In all these cases, the arrear license fees and penalties that have accumulated will be cancelled. But this will only apply to licenses that have expired prior to December 31, 2007.
” Motorists must identify themselves by means of ID, traffic register number certificate or passport, and normally, the registration certificate of the vehicle is required for deregistration but for the purpose of the amnesty this requirement is relaxed,” said Mathe.
Once the amnesty period expires, Mathe said, the Roads Authority would be forced to institute a system of recovering the debts from the owners of these unlicensed vehicles.
Motorists are therefore encouraged to make full use of the generous amnesty offered during the period of February 1 to May 30, 2008.
In future, the Roads Authority advised motorists to apply for deregistration or give notice of export or sale, to avoid the accumulation of debts with NaTIS.