Residents concerned of the limited traffic services at Moutse outside Grobblersdal in Limpopo

Residents at Moutse township in Limpopo say that a traffic center in their area only provides limited services to the community. The state-of-the-art traffic centre was built in 2009, but it does not offer key services such as learners license as well as driver’s license tests.

Residents have to travel to Polokwane and Grobblersdal to access these services.

The centre located inside Moutse township, was meant to provide easy access to these services for residents in the area. It emerged shortly after it was handed over to the community in 2009, that the center was unable to provide key services offered by the traffic department.

The centre is fully staffed, yet residents, including taxi associations say that they have been turned away without getting assistance even for the renewal of license disks.

“As the Dennilton Taxi Association there is simply no services we get from this traffic department. We come here to use the hall for meetings. We were promised that all our license needs would be serviced here including the permits, but now we have to get services in Groblersdal or Polokwane,” says a member of the taxi association.

The Department for Transport and Community Safety acknowledges that the Moutse traffic Centre does not offer comprehensive licensing services.

Spokesperson Tidimalo Chuene says the station offers traffic law enforcement.

Chuene says there are plans to convert the center into a multi-purpose facility.

“Moutse traffic station is built for law enforcement and traffic registration and licensing of motor vehicles and these two services are offered fully at the moment. However, it is important to indicate that as a department, we have taken a long-term decision to make our traffic stations multi-purpose centers. These centers must have law enforcement, registration, testing of motor vehicles, testing of drivers, road safety and issuing of operating licenses. So, Moutse is very much part of these long term plans.”

The traffic station has 36 traffic officers, three cashiers, and four administrative staff. Among the traffic officers are examiners who initially were earmarked to conduct driving tests.