Taking learner’s licence a frustrating experience

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I TOOK a young man to get his learner’s licence. We got there at 12.30pm and there was a sign indicting where to go to have an eye test.

There was no one there to serve and I do not know at what time the person left to go to lunch but a woman returned at 2.05pm. Nice lunch time!

In the meantime, we were told to join the normal queue of people all waiting patiently to be seen by one of two people in little booths. There were four booths unoccupied, and the queue grew longer and longer.

Much has been written and much will continue to be written about the appalling "service” provided to the long-suffering public. We eventually left at 3.30pm.

How can South Africa ever compete with the rest of the world in the 21st century when it takes three hours to get a piece of paper?

My other complaint is that of the nine provinces, we in the Eastern Cape have to pay the highest fee to obtain a learner’s licence. Go to this address: www.services.gov.za, follow the prompts and see for yourself just how high our fees are in the Eastern Cape.

We have to pay R213 to apply for the learner’s licence and, if we pass, pay another R69 to get the licence. By comparison, people in the Western Cape pay R68 to apply and another R38 on passing. Our total cost is R282 and in the Western Cape R106!

Why are fees not uniform in South Africa? An unbelievable state of affairs!