Closed testing station leads to more chaos

As if the closing of the Nkowankowa Testing Station in December was not chaotic enough, more drama unfolded when the stakeholders of the testing station disrupted the services of Tzaneen Testing Station on Tuesday morning, January 16.

This comes after the Greater Tzaneen Municipality (GTM) had promised that the station will be re-opened on Monday, January 15.

This led to the stakeholders which included community members of Nkowankowa and driving schools personnel to block people from testing for their driver’s licenses.

Protesters used trucks to block the testing ground.

Nkowankowa driving school community says that the municipality must re-open the testing station soon.

“We are doing the protest to send a strong message to GTM that they have to open the Nkowankowa Testing Station immediately, we cannot afford to wait any longer.

“Our driving school businesses have completely collapsed, the Tzaneen station cannot accommodate all of us, because it is already clustered,” explained Slovo Jongweni, Driving School Owner.

Also Read: BREAKING NEWS: Hawks arrest 3 Nkowankowa testing station examiners

The office of the mayor had published an external memorandum which indicated that the Provincial Department of Transport will take eight testing officers to a refresher course in preparation of the re-opening of the station.

police were called to the scene

“We are aware that the testing officers are willing and ready to go back to work but we don’t know whats keeping them from opening it.

“Some of our tertiary student customers, who were scheduled to test during the December holidays have not tested and most of them have already gone back to school.

“We just want the station to re-open nothing else we are not fighting with anyone,” said Steyn Malubana, Driving School Owner.

The police were called to the scene but no one was arrested, because the protest was peaceful.

Trucks blocking the Tzaneen Testing Station ground, preventing peolpe from doing their testing.

The protesters asked to meet with the testing station’s management to voice out their queries.

Nkowankowa station was closed in December 12 after the Hawks Serious Corruption Unit, arrested five testing officials.

The officials were arrested on charges of contravention of the Road Traffic Act of 93 of 1996 and the prevention and combating of Corrupt Activities Act 12 of 2004.

“We are not really sure as to when the testing station will be re-opened. There are a lot of issues that need to be considered and procedures to be followed,” remarked GTM Spokesperson, Neville Ndlala.

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