Picture: The North West Provincial Government (NWPG) officials during sod-turning of Kgomotso Traffic Licensing Centre
By OBAKENG MAJE
Residents of Kgomotso village, near Taung call on the North West MEC for Community Safety and Transport Management, Sello Lehari to hand over the Traffic Licensing Centre in their area. According to the residents, the centre was constructed and completed a few years ago.
One of the residents who refused to be named for fear of reprisal said: “We are now forced either go to Taung Licensing Centre or to Hartswater. However, Taung is too far compared to Hartswater. But in Hartswater, we sometimes experience challenges because our area falls under North West province, while Hartswater is in Northern Cape.
“So, we urge the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management to open the centre. Most of the vehicles here are registered under Northern Cape due to the non-operational of the centre.”
Meanwhile, the North West Department of Community Safety and Transport Management spokesperson, Lucas Mothibedi said: “The department awaits equipment that we have ordered and it is envisaged to have the centre opened before the end of the financial year. There are no infrastructural hiccups, but the only pending issue is to have all equipment ordered be installed.
“Remember, a block building used to be a school, so it was renovated by the North West Department of Public Works and Roads to the tune of R1.2 million. So, following the completion and handover of the building by the North West Department of Public Works and Roads, minor poor workmanship was detected and requested to be fixed before the site can be operational.”
Mothibedi further said, they can now confirm that, the issues had been dealt with. He added that, it is imperative to note that the licensing centres should meet certain requirements before being opened to the public.
“This relates specifically to the supply, delivery, and installation of NaTIS equipment, which is still to be delivered by the service provider. So, we anticipate delivery of the equipment and activation of the system to be still within the current financial year,” said Mothibedi.
The Guardian 