Mnquma Local Municipality used the International Nelson Mandela Day on July 18 to officially open its long-awaited state of the art driving license testing centre (DLTC) located in Msobomvu Township in Butterworth.
The municipality further used the day to officially unveil the Ngqamakwe taxi rank and a tourism information centre in the Butterworth CBD.
The municipality says the R7 million DLTC facility, fitted with cutting-edge technology which is linked to the electronic national traffic information system (E-Natis), will enhance the municipality’s functional streams for revenue-generation.
“It has been a long wait, but it was all not in vain. I am delighted that finally we are here to deliver the DLTC to the people of Mnquma and we thank them for their enduring patience and co-operation during the construction phase,” said Mnquma Local Municipality Executive mayor Tunyiswa Manxila-Nkamisa.
“This facility will also give young people control of their future and help them with their driving licences. All profits generated by this centre will go back to service delivery.”
Manxila-Nkamisa attributed the delays in construction of the DLTC facility to a protracted legal battle with service provider that was originally awarded a R5 million tender to it but failed to deliver.
Situated along the R409 Centane stretch, the Msobomvu DLTC will cut red-tape and reduce travelling costs for thousands of people applying for driving licence bookings, examinations and testing, public driving permits (PDPs) and licence renewals.
Mnquma constituency leader and Member of Parliament, Prince Zolile Burns-Ncamashe, Eastern Cape Member of the Provincial Legislature, Thabo Matiwane and Mnquma Local Municipality municipal manager, Silumko Mahlasela, attended the event.
“When I took over as the municipal manager in 2018, I immediately instructed our lawyers to argue that the completion of the DLTC was in the best interests of the community we serve. We already have systems in place to ensure that we root out any attempts at corruption or fraud from taking place here,” said Mahlasela.
Built at a cost of R3.5 million, the Mnquma Tourism Information Centre boasts an exhibition area which will enhance efforts to market Mnquma as a preferred tourism destination among locals, tourists, and tour guides.
Visitors to the centre will get the opportunity to view and tap into the area’s rich history in Xhosa heritage and wars of dispossession.
Prime tourism destinations in the area include Nongqawuse’s Pool, Ngcayechibi’s (final frontier) War, the Reverend Tiyo Soga’s grave, Govan Mbeki’s birthplace and indigenous rock art caves, including the majestic Bawa Falls, which at 103m deep, are a few metres shy of the Zimbabwe’s famous Victoria Falls.
The modernised Ngqamakwe taxi rank, built at a cost of R8 million, is expected to drastically reduce traffic congestion in the Ngqamakwe CBD while providing commuters, taxi operators and hawkers with safer, cleaner, and reliable transport services.
