Anyone planning to visit the Middelburg Licensing Department this week will be out of luck after the offices were forced to close following a strike by employees affiliated with the National Education, Health and Allied Workers’ Union (NEHAWU).

Since Monday (August 3), residents arriving to renew driver’s licences, collect licence cards, register vehicles and complete other licensing transactions have been met with locked gates and no access to the building.

Some motorists travelled to the department only to discover that no services were available.

Visiting the building, locals found the offices evacuated, employees sitting outside, the gates locked and NEHAWU members gathered at the entrance.

Unlucky local

For one resident, the unexpected closure proved costly.

After realising the offices were closed, the motorist accidentally drove through the one-way exit while trying to leave. His vehicle struck the tyre spikes, leaving him with two flat tyres.

Union says ‘shhh…’

Employees declined to comment on the strike, saying they had been instructed not to speak to the media before a memorandum is handed to management at 11:00 on Friday (August 7).

They said the strike is expected to continue until Tuesday (August 11) and that the dispute is limited to the Middelburg Licensing Department.

Plan B for motorists

Questions have been sent to the Mpumalanga Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison regarding the reason for the closure, what alternative arrangements have been made for motorists and when normal services are expected to resume.

Steve Tshwete Local Municipality confirmed that the licensing department falls under the provincial government and referred the enquiry to the department’s spokesperson, Moeti Mmusi.

At the time of publication the provincial department had not responded.