By Nangamso Mabindla
03 October 2007

LONG queues at the vehicle registration counters in municipal offices are a thing of the past, thanks to the Post Office Motor Vehicle Licence Renewal Service of the Eastern Cape department of roads and transport.

The service, launched in East London on Tuesday, 2 October, forms part of the department's programme for Public Transport Month. Under the service, it will be possible to renew vehicle licences at post offices in Buffalo City and King Sabatha Dalindyebo (Mthatha).

Thobile Mhlahlo, the MEC for roads and transport, said it would make life easier for people to use government services.

"Since last year, we have resolved to provide enabling business processes for certain transport functions to promote good governance and transportation excellence."

He said that following a successful pilot of the service in the Nelson Mandela Metropole, the department had decided to identify 30 other sites – 25 in Buffalo City and five in King Sabatha Dalindyebo - to help ease vehicle registration backlogs in these municipalities.

"The new motor vehicle registration renewal service that we are launching with the South African Post Office … has already yielded good results in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole. When we entered into this partnership in July 2006, there was a backlog of 1 700 transactions," he said.

With the new service up and running, the department was now 95 percent up to date. It would monitor the new service's roll out.

The first 12 sites are the post offices at Beacon Bay, East London, Mdantsane, Southernwood, Gonubie, Vincent, King William's Town, and Amathole in Buffalo City; and at Viedgesville, Unitra, Mqanduli and Madeira in Mthatha.