No traffic station operating in Tubatse
“This is an inconvenience to us and now I had to travel to Lydenburg for this. The municipality should have arranged for temporary accommodation of the staff," he said.
PRAKTISEER – For the past three months, residents had to travel more than 60 kilometres to renew their licences or to do their driver’s licence tests.
Since March 15, no services have been rendered at the only local traffic station in Greater Tubatse Municipality (GTM) because of a lack of water and blocked toilets.
Learners and motorists who needed help with their expiring driver’s licences were turned away and advised to travel to Lydenburg or to Lebowakgomo traffic stations for assistance.
These included Mr Peter Mkhondo, who went to the station to renew his licence on March 26, but was told the station was closed.
“This is an inconvenience to us and now I had to travel to Lydenburg for this. The municipality should have arranged for temporary accommodation of the staff,” he said.
Reliable sources told the newspaper that the Limpopo Department of Roads and Transport closed the centre as they viewed the working conditions as not being up to standard.
“The toilets are dirty and some of us preferred not to use them at all, we often use the toilets of neighbouring offices,” said one anonymous worker at the station.
A public notice found at the station stated that services pertaining to learne’rs, driver’s and public driving licences had been suspended until further notice. Another notice stated that the station had been closed due to “certain circumstances”.
It’s not the first time the station makes the headlines for wrong reasons In 2012, staff downed tools in demand of water at the station.
Mr Thabiso Mokoena, the spokesman for the municipality, said the station was closed due to the lack of ablution facilities, electrical and technical problems as well as problems with the structure of the building.
“We are currently renovating the place, we will equip the station with its own borehole and all the problems with the roofing will be solved.”
Mokoena said the municipality would then await transport and roads’ confirmation of whether the renovated building comply to their standards.
