The municipal strike effectively closed the Traffic Department last week, with members of the public uncertain of whether the office was open or not.
The municipal strike effectively closed the Traffic Department last week, with members of the public uncertain of whether the office was open or not.
People scheduled to write their learners’ or drivers’ tests, wanting to pay fines, or license their vehicles would have found the entrances to the department blocked by rubbish with a sign on the door informing them that the offices would be closed until further notice.
According to a senior clerk at the department, Anne Bezuidenhout the offices were still closed on Monday but by Tuesday, learners’ and drivers’ tests were being conducted for people who had bookings on that day.
When the strike ended on Wednesday, Bezuidenhout said that the department was “fully-functional” with tests being conducted and people coming in to pay fines.
This was despite the front doors being closed and barricaded by rubbish, and the sign informing the public that the offices were closed still visible.
“We tried to find a private company to remove the rubbish, but they fear intimidation from the strikers,’ said Bezuidenhout.
People who were booked for tests were being ushered to the back door of the department to take their tests or pay their fines, but many were unaware that the department was open.
“I wouldn’t have known that the place was open if I didn’t ask an officer who was down the road when the office would be open again,” said Ashraf Ameen, a student wanting to book his learners’ test.
Meanwhile people who were unable to take their tests while the department was closed last week have still not been given new appointments.
