Influx of licence applicants blamed for poor licensing services in Kempton Park

While applicants complain of gates being closed too early, the licensing centre argues that overtime for officials is not allowed unless pre-approved.

The City of Ekurhuleni has blamed “an influx of applicants for new driver’s licences and PDPs” for what residents perceive as poor service at Kempton Park Licensing Centre, reports the Tembisan.

The Kempton Express, the other community paper in the area, has received numerous complaints about the bad service, including reports of gates being locked to keep people out.

Themba Gadebe, spokesperson for the metro, said the office hours at the centre started 8am until 3pm.

One resident complained he arrived after noon on June 26 and found the gate closed.

“Currently we are having an influx of applicants for new driver’s licences and PDPs. The gates are sometimes closed before knockoff time so that all applicants already inside can be served,” Gadebe said.

“This was the case on June 26. The gate was closed to accommodate all applicants already inside. The last applicant was served at 4.34pm on June 26, which was beyond the knockoff time for the officials.

“After all applicants have been served, cashiers must still balance money collected and reconcile the totals. Further note that for officials to work overtime, it needs to be pre-approved in terms of applicable policy for internal control and accountability,” he added.

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