Four months’ wait for new licence
A resident says that she is at wits end after waiting four months for her new drivers’ licence.
The woman, who requested to stay anonymous, said that her licence expired on 26 September. She went to the Steve Tshwete Municipality’s Licencing Department to renew her licence card on 18 August, more than a month before it expires.
She provided the Middelburg Observer with proof of her application for renewal.
She was told that she will be notified by SMS when her licence is ready for collection. After hearing nothing for weeks, the woman went back to the Licencing Department to enquire about the status of her licence.
“At first they told me that the company that issues the licences were on strike. During my most recent visit I was told that the company is now upgrading its system,” the lady told Middelburg Observer.
She says that she was told to apply for a temporary licence.
“I am a pensioner and can definitely not afford paying extra money for something that I did not budget for. Am I to be held financially responsible for a mistake out of my control? ” the woman asked.
•Steve Tshwete Municipal spokesperson, Prudence Magutle, said that the lady has since been notified that her licence is ready for collection.
•Another elderly couple said that they have spent two days at the Licencing Department in an attempt to renew a licence. On Monday, they were told at 15:30 that they were not going to be helped. They returned on the Tuesday, only to be sent home again at 14:00 after they were told that the machines were offline.
The elderly woman is 79 and in a frail condition. Her husband said that staff at the office were very unsympathetic towards them.
“I told them that I will now be driving to Hendrina. If I get my wife’s licence there I will be deducting my travelling costs from my municipal account,” the elderly man said.
He said that they were told that only two of the three machines work. The third has been broken for at least five months.
“My concern is this: I sat and counted and it takes them about 30 minutes to help one person. Let’s say they help 30 people per day. On Fridays they close early so let’s say they help 20 people on a Friday. That amounts to 140 people a week and 6 700 per year. If I look at the amount of residents in Middelburg, it seems that they do not have the capacity to properly assist the public. Why are they not buying more machines to accommodate the increase in residents?” the man asked.
The couple too, requested to stay anonymous out of fear of victimization.
The municipality did not respond about the matter before deadline.
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