MIDDELBURG – Services have resumed at the Steve Tshwete Municipality Licensing Department following interruptions caused by the transfer of licensing services to the province.
The Department of Community Safety, Security, and Liaison (DCSSL) announced it has taken over the administration of licensing services at the municipality due to a failure to honour the service level agreement between itself and the municipality.
The municipality officially stopped discharging all licensing functions on Monday, 1 July 2024, and resumed on Wednesday, 3 July 2024, under new management. “All transactions, enquiries, and payments should be directed to the Department of Community Safety, Security, and Liaison,” Municipal Manager Mandla Mnguni said in a notice.
Department spokesperson Moeti Mmusi told the Highveld Chronicle on Tuesday that Steve Tshwete is among several municipalities in the province that have regressed in licensing revenue collection. “The municipality, like other municipalities where we have taken over licensing functions, has failed to process payments owed to the department. If it was successful, it was not done in time,” he said.
Mmusi added that the takeover does not mean that outstanding traffic fines will fall away. “Motorists still need to pay. Even those municipalities, I think 80% or so, based on the agreement with the department, that money is still payable to the department. This includes traffic fines that are still payable to the department,” Mmusi said.
