King Sabata Dalindyebo (KSD) Municipality Executive Mayor, Nyaniso Nelani, has reopened the municipality’s vehicle testing station to the public, after it abruptly ceased to operate almost two years ago, following the arrest of officials at the testing centre on corruption allegations.
The vehicle testing station, which is situated near the Thornhill Water Treatment Plant, also undergoing repairs after it was damaged by a storm that hit the KSD municipal area last year, was officially reopened on July 19.
The municipality also revealed that it had spent around R500 000 to get the facility operating again, which covered the cost of repairs due to storm damage, as well as specialised training of three municipal officials to operate the testing equipment at the station.
“The resumption of the vehicle testing station services is significant to the municipality and the public, as it ensures the safety of passengers by ensuring that vehicles on our roads are safe and roadworthy,” said Nelani.
He further attributed the long time it took to get the facility operational again to the investigations that followed the arrest of officials who previously operated the station, as well as the rigorous training and accreditation of new officials to get the facility operating again.
The municipality also used the day to parade its law enforcement force, clad in a new uniform that the municipality was also unveiling on the day.
Nelani said the new uniform for their force gives them identity, as the previous uniform was like the one worn by provincial traffic officers and meant that the public could not identify municipal law enforcement officers from those attached to the province.
Nelani said both the reopening of the vehicle testing station and the new uniform for their law enforcement force were strides towards the local municipality becoming a metropolitan municipality in 2026.
