The City of Joburg launched its new mobile licensing office this week in an effort to bring essential services to its residents in underserved communities that do not have easy access to them.
The launch of the “Licensing Truck” forms part of the ongoing Easter Road Safety campaign that aims to encourage motorists to renew vehicle licence discs before travelling to their holiday destinations this weekend, and to also pay traffic fines to stay on the right side of the law and avoid further penalties.
Alongside the landmark initiative, Public Safety MMC, Mgcini Tshwaku, assured communities that going forward there will be increased visibility of Joburg Metro Police Officers (JMPD) in at-risk areas to tackle high rates of criminality.
“We have heard your cries about the lack of police visibility to deal with the high rate of crime. We will work closely with SAPS and ensure we deal with this scourge of crime and violence decisively,” said Tshwaku.
“TRU (Tactical Response Unit) will be deployed to conduct operations, and roadblocks will also be conducted daily leading up to the Easter weekend and beyond. Please renew your vehicle licences and pay your traffic fines.”
Licensing Truck services
The licensing truck offers the following services to Joburg residents:
- Paying traffic fines
- Renewal of driver’s licences
- Renewal of motor vehicle licences
- Booking and writing of learners’ licences
Its first stop was in Tshepisong in Joburg’s Region C, and from there it will move from community to community offering these services to residents in a convenient manner.
The mobile Licensing Truck follows another initiative of a similar kind in which the City of Joburg used roadblocks to find residents with outstanding municipal bills and assist them in settling their debts.
Last year, the metro said that many of its citizens were unaware that they had unpaid municipal accounts, and equally as many were unable to pay them without having to travel long distances.
Therefore, it started stationing revenue officials at select JMPD roadblocks to provide these individuals with a copy of their outstanding accounts and help them settle their accounts on the spot or enter into an Acknowledgment of Debt agreement.
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