Pretoria - Executive mayor mayor Solly Msimanga will address the media on Thursday morning about the the recent robberies at various licensing departments in the city.
Meanwhile, the Centurion licensing department, which was temporarily closed on Wednesday after thieves broke into the centre overnight and stole computers and cameras, was expected to reopen on Thursday.
Metro Police spokesman, Senior Superintendent Isaac Mahamba, said the theft prompted an immediate shutdown of the licensing centre to allow an investigation to be conducted without hindrances. He anticipated that the Centurion centre would be operational on Thursday.
However, it would have limited services, including learner licence testing, practical driver testing and collection of new licence cards, Mahamba said. Preliminary investigations revealed that computers, eNaTiS screens and camera equipment were stolen.
The burglary brought the number of burgled licensing centres in the city to two in as many months. In May equipment was also stolen at the Waltloo licensing centre, east of Pretoria, leaving it unable to assist motorists in that part of the capital.
On Wednesday we reported that the Centurion centre was swamped with motorists from different parts of the capital because other licensing centres in the city were offline.
Frustration
Numerous motorists aired their frustration after being turned away from several of the city’s licensing departments, including Waltloo, Akasia and Centurion. In the north, the Akasia licensing department has come under fire from motorists, who said it was unreliable and its system constantly offline.
The Rayton licensing office closed for renovations earlier this year. It was originally expected to reopen after four months, but that hasn’t happened. The only service rendered at Rayton is the collection of driving licence cards, which will be allowed to run to its natural conclusion of exhaustion.
Thousands of motorists said they have had to turn to Centurion as an alternative.