Municipality silent as licences go offline again

MBOMBELA – Members of the public who visit the Mbombela licensing department are once again turned away, due to “systems being offline”.

The department has reportedly been unable to process any paperwork since Friday. It is understood that its computer systems are offline. Lowvelder went to the licensing department to investigate yesterday morning.

An employee of the office, who requested not to be identified, told the newspaper that members of the public can collect paperwork and have the eye tests done, but that no paperwork could be processed.

Despite offering paperwork to the public, the gates to the building are closed, and only opened on request. The various forms are kept at the entrance and handed out by a security guard.

A member of the public, Theo Olivier, was very upset. “I drove here all the way from Schoemanskloof to renew the licences for my car, my farm vehicles and a trailer. Last year around July they were closed as well. We get fined if we do not have our licences renewed on time, so what are we supposed to do? It is not like you can boycott the place.”

Lowvelder had previously reported that the licensing offices were closed in July 2016, November 2016 and in February, earlier this year.

In July the department had run out of the paper needed to print licences on.

In November the licensing offices in the municipality’s jurisdiction were closed due to a financial disagreement over payment procedures between the municipality and the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison. This resulted in the offices running out of paper.

During February members of the public were told that the computer systems were offline for two days, but the reason for closure was never confirmed by the City of Mbombela Local Municipality (CMLM).

Spokesman for CMLM, Joseph Ngala, could not be reached for comment at the time of going to press.