According to the metro spokesman Sam Modiba they recently received instructions from the Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) to stop using of the facility, hence its closure.
After receiving notice from the metro, they officially closed its doors on August 5.
When owners Pieter and Lenie Venter from Venter Optometrists were told by metro officials that the centre would cease to operate, they were instructed to accommodate all advanced bookings – some made months in advance of the appointment – within a month.
“Quite an impossible task for us, as some of our clients are overseas and could not be reached in time. And how do you fit more people in when there are only so many hours a day for a month?” says Lenie.
She adds she is very upset as no obvious reasons were given to them prior to the notice.
The satellite office was put in place with an agreement reached between Pieter and the metro, and its doors were officially opened in 2003.
While the metro supplied all the equipment, the infrastructure was put into place by Pieter and Lenie.
The satellite office ran smoothly, but due to the fact that it was not for medical purposes, Pieter had to look for other premises to operate from.
“We bought the house next door and changed it into a smooth running business in compliance with the metro’s requirements and to fit our clients’ needs,” says Pieter.
Modiba says this action was taken in terms of the metro’s new service level agreement with GPG. According to this agreement, a third party cannot render these services and the instruction was based on the fees charged for appointments that were contrary to the Road Traffic Act and were not advertised.
According to van Rooyen the government should have asked the community if they minded paying the fees charged by the satelite office.
She wants to know if it is because they were far more efficient than the main metro office, and it actually worked efficiently and timelessly, unlike most government and municipal departments.
“Whatever the situation may be, it saved us a lot of time and effort and we were quite happy paying the extra fees, otherwise we wouldn’t be going there in the first place. Instead of standing in a long queue and driving to different premises to have tests done, everything was done on the same premises,” concludes van Rooyen.
