Motorists furious over service at licence office

VEHICLE owners and motorists have called for an urgent investigation into the goings-on at the Umbilo Motor Licensing Bureau in Durban.

They claimed that the service delivery there was “pathetic” and fraught with corruption.

Several people who spoke to the Sunday Tribune this week complained of long queues, with some being turned back on several occasions.

They feared that the licence renewal grace period would expire without them having their licences renewed due to some corrupt workers.

Pauline Tegg said she had witnessed underhanded activities while waiting in the queue. She claimed that there was corruption involved in gaining entrance to the premises.

“I have been standing in the queue for the past three hours and I have seen suspicious activities. I have seen a guy in a white T-shirt and black jeans going in and out of the building after he had collected money from people outside the premises,” she said.

Tegg said she heard the man telling another that he must be given at least R200 and he would make a plan.

When the Sunday Tribune approached the man, he said that he had connections that made it easy for him to gain access.

He would not give out his name or who he worked for.

Another complainant, who asked to remain anonymous, said he was frustrated by the service.

“I have two vehicles to license before the 21-day extension grace period expires on October 21. I have been to the Umbilo Motor Licensing Bureau from October 4 to 8 but have been unsuccessful.

“We were advised at the gate that there is a quota system in place where only 100 members of the public will be attended to per day, and once that number has been reached, no further members will be attended to. Yet there is a sign posted on the gate that clearly says 150 members per day,” he said.

The complainant said that there were elderly people who queued from 4am.

“They were still in the queue up until 2pm. They had to go home without being helped. Yet there were at least 30 walk-in members of the public who casually strolled into the office, mentioning the word ‘dealer’, and were let in,” he said.

Thembekile Jones, 69, a resident from Wentworth, said he had gone to the bureau from Monday.

“Today is Wednesday. I arrived here as early as 7.30am and they disregarded the fact that I am a pensioner. The treatment I have received here is bad and shows that this facility has employees that are incompetent,” he said.

Jones had gone there to request help with a logbook and other details of a vehicle he bought back in 1985.

“In almost all government facilities, pensioners queue separately and are given special attention because we are not in a healthy state to be sitting for long hours.”

He suggested that the facility increase its daily intake given that the country was now on lockdown level 1.

Noxolo Mbhele said that she had also been at the bureau for several days and that waking up early made not much of a difference.

“I got here around 6.30am and I have been here since Monday. I had been hopeful that I would be part of the 100 persons intake but I am unlucky every time,” said Mbhele.

“What’s even more stressful is the fact that even if, when I count the number of people in the queue, I am in the 100. It’s only when the business hours start that other people would pitch up from nowhere and claim that they had bought their slots. We end up sidelined.”

Siyabonga Ngwabe, a dealer, said they worked with the licensing bureau on a daily basis.

“So facial recognition comes in handy for us hence we don’t provide proof that we are dealers at the main gate. However, once inside, there are security guards who actually show you the way to the dealer’s tent,” said Ngwabe.

Kamal Jagdaw from the licensing bureau directed questions to the KZN Department of Transport, but the department did not respond to questions.

However, Deputy Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga, who was in Durban this week, said that they were aware of the deeply rooted corruption in the department and were investigating some of the offices.

“We have identified the problem of slots being blocked because of corruption, so what we have done is that, if you want to book, you book through Road Traffic Management Corporations and not directly at the driving licence testing centre because that’s where the blockage and/ or corruption is,” said Chikunga.

“With that now an option, we are waiting for feedback to hear whether or not people are still experiencing the same challenges.”

Gauteng and the Eastern Cape were the first provinces to introduce an online system to book for the renewal of drivers’ licences.

Chikunga said they were planning to roll out the system to the remaining provinces but could not give a timeline.

“We still have to go to KZN but the aim is to roll it out to all provinces but of course it is going to happen in phases because it calls for a lot of change, equipment and other things.”

Chikunga said that the public needed to report corruption.

She also said that it was unfortunate that some people were willing to pay to jump the queues.

She mentioned that the department had taken some of its officials to court while it was still investigating others for alleged corruption. She said that corruption was so entrenched in the system that it would take help from the public as well to bring suspects to book.

It was gazetted on August 31, 2021 that all driving licence cards, learner’s licences, temporary driving licences and professional driving permits which expired between March 26, 2020 and August 31, 2021 would be considered valid for a grace period ending on March 31, 2022.