Licensing service offices in shambles

Centurion licensing offices closed due to unsanitary working conditions.

January 5, 2015

Kristian Meijer 2 minutes read

The notorious Centurion licensing services (CLS) was in shambles this morning (5 January 2015). When workers arrived at the offices, they found it in a disgusting state. Rotten food and refuse littered the offices of the licensing services. The supervisor on duty then refused to have employees start work, as they considered it a health hazard. Fingers were pointed, but no one wanted to take blame.

Employees at the Centurion licensing services went on holiday on 24 December. Cleaning services last cleaned the offices on 23 December.

According to one Tshwane metro worker, it was the responsibility of the Centurion branch supervisor on duty to ensure one of the general workers employed at CLS cleaned the offices on the last day of work. This was not done, and refuse bins were left overflowing, dust lined the floors, and chips packets and cold drink cans littered the hallways.

DA Ward Councillor Peter Sutton, who was on scene to resolve the issue, said the disaster at the CLS was due to mismanagement.

“What this boils down to is an attitude problem and the actions of an incompetent supervisor. Cashier cubicles were left in a disgusting state, and they themselves simply refused to clean it. Pieces of pie crust and chips were strewn about in the cubicles, but weren’t cleaned as the cashiers and supervisor on duty claimed it was not their responsibility. The fact that the supervisor did not come into office a few days earlier to ensure that everything was in order, shows his incompetence.”

Irate citizens took their frustrations out on security, shouting and demanding to be let in. One 83-year-old lady had been queuing to have her licensed renewed since 06:00.

Juan van Aswegen, a Centurion resident who had his new-born baby girl with him, said the situation was unacceptable. “The systems that the licensing services employs has to be redesigned. This does not work. Worst of all, the poor security guards have to hand out forms to people in queues.”

Another irate resident said when people weren’t able to get the expected service, they turned to illegal activities and paid dodgy people to buy their driver’s licenses.

The queue was stretching out of the building and into the parking lot. A man in the line said this morning was the fourth time he had to come and try and renew his license. “Every time I come here, they run out of the necessary papers. Last time they finally gave me one, but I had to stand in the same queue again because they had forgotten to stamp it.”

The licensing offices were eventually cleaned by some of the staff and were opened at 10:20, nearly three-and-a-half hours after they were supposed to. The elderly were let in first, as were the people who wanted to renew their vehicle license discs.

According to DA ward councillor Karen Meyer, it is unacceptable to close public service offices supposed to serve the public.

“The DA will now insist on a disciplinary hearing for the supervisor on duty. This is unfortunate, as the Centurion licensing offices usual supervisors weren’t on duty, and in December they kept the offices open till 18:00 at night to ensure that everyone was helped over the festive season.”