100 metre long queue at SARS Nelspruit
The queue consisted mainly of those wanting to do their tax returns.
MBOMBELA – The queue at the Nelspruit SARS branch was between 80 and 100 metres long on Monday to Wednesday as desperate Lowvelders tried to submit their tax returns before the deadline at end of business on Wednesday.
By Thursday morning the queue was still about 40 metres long, as locals were adamant to enter the building and do their tax returns. People from all around the Lowveld, including Lydenburg, Bushbuckridge, Malalane, Barberton and Mkhuhlu, stood in the queue in the scorching sun for hours on end without food or water.
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On Tuesday an elderly lady fainted due to the heat. On Tuesday The Square, Pick’ n Pay The Square and Liquor City Crossings brought some relief when they handed out bottles of water and cans of cool drink to the people in the queue.
The majority of people the newspaper spoke to pleaded for an extension and more offices around the province. They also complained that they were not able to go to the mobile tax offices as they did not have the schedules, and that when these offices visited they did not have the capacity to help the entire community.
SARS did not respond to any enquiries regarding the mobile tax offices, the length of the queue or solutions to prevent similar queues in the future, although on their website they suggest e-filing.
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