Pretoria - About 46 professional drivers in the North West will take to the streets on Friday to show off their advanced driving skills.
The North West Public Safety Department will host the two-day Annual Driver Skills Enhancement Programme Championship at the Mmabatho Stadium Parking Lot in Mahikeng.
The competition is expected to enhance driving skills of public driving permit holders and promote driver education in the province in a bid to reduce road accidents involving buses and other commercial vehicles.
The coveted programme is a culmination of stiff eliminations that started at district level and includes male and female drivers from the private and public transport sectors, government and private individuals.
The categories include heavy motor vehicle, bus (male and female), lady driver, rigid trucks (with and without trailer), and articulated truck and panel van categories.
The programme also serves as an incentive to the business sector to invest in advanced driver training to obtain excellent return on investment in the form of reduced maintenance costs and improved productivity.
North West MEC for Public Safety Howard Yawa is expected to announce the winners in each category at the closing award presentation ceremony to be held at the Mmabatho Palms Hotel on Saturday evening.
Departmental spokesperson Lesiba Kqwele said the initiative has produced among others, South Africa's representative in the truck and trailer category at the 2008 International Driver of the Year Competition held in Italy, Ezekiel More.
It also produced the provincial and overall winner in the Male Bus Category in the 2009 National Driver of the Year Competition, Andries Vumazonke.
