The News’ journalist, Natasha Pretorius, recently had to renew her driver’s licence and saw this as the perfect opportunity to take a look at what is going on at the Krugersdorp Licensing Department.
“Renewing my licence was a bitter-sweet experience, a daunting one that I did not look forward to.
“Firstly I had to book an appointment, not an easy task at all. I went onto the website for a week to try and make a booking. But to no avail, they simply did not have any spots open.
“Out of frustration I went onto the site one last time and there were five spots available. I clicked on the first available time and as I pressed ‘make booking’ a message popped up saying the appointment has already been taken. Now, you have to realise that in order to book another time you have to start all over. By the third time I logged in there were only three places left and I decided to take the last one on the list. By a stroke of luck I had a booking. The last time I was this happy was on my wedding day.
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“On the day of the booking I arrived early, because they tell you to arrive early to avoid delays. At the information desk I met Refilwe Oliphant, who instructed me to sit and wait until they call me. I watched as irritated, angry and sometimes rude people all surrounded her, asking a million questions. Refilwe answered every one of the questions with a friendly smile, even escorting people to the correct place.
“As I entered the room with three other people, I was second in line. The man before me was told he needed to go see a doctor for spectacles and I was next. But the man after me was an elderly man and I suggested that he go ahead of me as I was not in a hurry, and I wanted to check things out a bit more.
Photos: Natasha Pretorius.
“The woman helping us turned to me and said, ‘Ma’m can you please come, you are wasting my time, he is after you’.
“After getting up and not wanting to waste her time any longer I sat at the table. Her irritated demeanour soon changed back to a friendlier version and in 10 minutes I had my eye test done and was told to go pay at the front counter. Again a friendly staff member helped me and in forty minutes I was in, out and done.
“But this is not everyone’s story. Afterwards, I spoke to people waiting in the queue without bookings. They had been waiting since 7.30am and by then it was well past lunch time.
“Lara Bester told me how she had tried for weeks to book an appointment online, but simply could not get one. This was pretty much what the other almost 60 people in the queue told me.
“When you don’t have a booking you have to get there early and sit on a hard bench in a cold hallway the whole day. Every time there is an opening between online booking clients, a client from the bench gets helped. Lara suggested they help two clients with bookings then two without.
“The 77-year old Irene Leeuwen told me she went for her renewal a few weeks ago. She had to sit in that cold hallway for two days before she was helped. The first time she went, she waited for five hours and was then told at noon that they were closing. Another women protested and told them Irene was elderly. According to Irene, a staff member then told her that if she was fit enough to wait five hours that day she was fit enough to wait another five the next day.
“Irene said in the five hours she waited in line, only five non-booking clients were helped. She and her daughter also tried to get online bookings for months in advance but eventually had to go wait in line. She said the person next to her was there for the third day in a row, waiting for his chance.
“It seems that if you have a booking the process is flawless but without a booking it is a horrendous experience. The problem lies, in my opinion, with the booking system and the lack of available times and dates,” Natasha concluded.
Adrian Amod of Mogale City Corporate Communications, speaking on behalf of Licensing Services said in a statement to the News that they take note of the public’s frustration in securing a date online for the renewal of driving licences.
“The community should however note that both online and walk-in options are allocated on a first come, first served basis. It is also important to highlight that the Department of Transport and Road Traffic Management Corporation introduced the online system to not only modernise services offered but to also help reduce queues at licensing centres. As a result, most drivers opt to use the online system and abandon the walk-in option.
“Nevertheless, there are also areas near Krugersdorp where a booking can be made, such as Roodepoort, Randfontein, Westonaria and Carletonville,” the statement concluded.
