MOSSEL BAY NEWS -  How easy is it to pass the new computerised learner's licence test (CLLT)?

From scores of residents in the greater Mossel Bay area and some surrounding areas, the resounding response is: almost impossible.

Mossel Bay Advertiser asked its readers on a Facebook post on 18 June if they had taken the test recently, and what their experience was. There were over 200 comments by 24 June.

The Advertiser's sister paper, George Herald, reported in November 2025 and May this year on the frustration over the low pass rates on the CLLT among George residents. The CLLT was implemented in April last year.

According to the Mossel Bay residents and a Riversdale resident who contacted the Advertiser directly, some questions on the test are confusing and almost entirely different from what is taught in the K53 book and the practice tests online.

One mother, who lives in Riversdale and asked not to be named, told the Advertiser her daughter had written the learner's test seven times and failed by one point each time. 

"On her fourth attempt, the results showed that she had passed all three sections. She then stood in line for an hour to make her licence appointment, only to find out that she had not passed," she said.

The mother claimed that the answers on the preparation tests are not the same as the answers given when they are searched on Google.

"My other frustration is that they are not allowed to know what they answered incorrectly. So my daughter is going to answer the same questions incorrectly every time."

A learner driver's sign commonly displayed in rear windows. Photos: Linzetta Calitz

Another Mossel Bay resident, Nicole Pelser (32), said she has given up hope on the new system. "The first time there were 10 of us in the class, and all 10 of us failed."

Pelser said during the following three attempts, there was a 0% pass rate.

Kiara Botha (18), a learner of Point High School, passed her learner's test on her third attempt. She said there were many people who failed their first attempts.

Johan Labuschagne, the father of a Mossel Bay teenager, said his son had failed his first attempt, although his parents had helped him study.

"He gets full marks with almost every test question paper on the official app [K53 South Africa]. And yet he failed solidly. This new system does not test your knowledge of the rules of the road. It tests your ability to read tricky questions in Afrikaans or English," he said.

With all the complaints, however, came several comments from residents who had passed on their first attempt. 

Driving school instructor Pieter Grundlingh gives Kiara Botha a driving lesson at De Bakke. Photo: Linzetta Calitz

Glenton Seconds commented that he had passed on his first attempt and did not find the test too difficult. He said many of the test's questions were asked on the app's practice test, and that there were only three or four tricky questions. He advised everyone to go through the K53 book regularly.

Jacky Wienand commented that her husband and two sons had written their learner's recently and passed, and that her family has had no problems.

Kalyn MacKinnon commented that she had passed the test on the old system on her first attempt. However, it expired, and when she went to write again using the new system, she failed. 

"The questions were centred around the weight limitations of vehicles I would never even be in, completely different from the general road knowledge I was questioned on the first time," she said.

The Advertiser sent a host of questions to the National Department of Transport and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), which included the complaints mentioned in this article.

The RTMC's spokesperson, Simon Zwane, responded. "The same test is written by applicants in all provinces, and there are no complaints. There is no reason why Mossel Bay should be singled out for special attention. All other allegations do not warrant a response as they are spurious and not supported by substantive evidence," he said.

The department's response will be included in the online article once it has been received. 

‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’