Desperately Seeking my Patience

Somewhere during the course of today I lost my patience and if it wasn’t for a few helpful governmental employers, I would have lost my mind too.

Let me start from the beginning. On Friday, I took Scarlet for roadworthy on behalf of the seller as she is now staying in the Cape. But the big surprise was that the roadworthy test failed due to the engine number had two extra zeroes in the number compared to the documentation. This meant that Scarlet had to go for a Police Clearance.

So today was the day I tackled the bureaucracy and red tape. After doing research I found out that I needed a form called the Request for Police Clearance or RCP from a Vehicle Licence Department which needs to be taking to a Police Clearance Office. Johannesburg’s main Licencing Department in Langlaagte is closed due to renovations and the closest licencing offices was in Krugersdorp just down the road from my offices. And the bonus was that I could get the Police Clearance in Chamdor which was also just down the road.

So armed with all the paper work including photocopies of the sellers ID and proxy letter, I headed to the Vehicle Licencing Office in Krugersdorp for the RCP and after waiting in the queue for about 30mins I found out that I needed to go to a Metro Police Vehicle Licencing office which is in Langlaagte. I told them that the Langlaagte offices were closed for renovations, and they then directed me to the one at the Roodepoort Civic Centre.

After asking about a RCP the receptionist at the Roodepoort Civic Centre, she gave me a number and pointed to the queue in which I had to wait. About 45mins later after reaching the counter and asked for a RCP, I was told wrong queue and was pointed to another queue. Thankfully this was short and waited about 15mins. Here I was told that they could not help me because they are just a satellite Licence Department and that I had to go to the Old City Hall in Roodepoort CBD. It was about here that I think I lost my Patience.

After a struggle to find the Old City Hall, I had just about enough. Luckily the queue was short and after another 15min wait was told that they too could give me a RCP unless I had Scarlet micro dotted. So off I went to a microdot supplier who charges R450 to do the microdot but they can’t do it unless I have the RCP. This is the mess I found myself in.

After going back to the Roodepoort Licence Department at the Old City Hall, I told them my dilemma and was directed to the Supervisor. Now this is where my patience started returning as under this supervisor’s direction everyone scrambled to help me. The supervisor directed Scarlet and I to Cathy’s across the road who micro dotted Scarlet for R250. With this Veridot certificate which I took back to the Supervisor, who then organised me a RCP in no time, YAY. He then told me that I had to take the form to SAPS Vehicle Unit in Lenasia as the Chamdor one had moved to there. Now Lenasia is on the other side of Johannesburg but the Supervisor gave me very good directions with instructions to return to him the forms from the police for him to finalise the Police Clearance.

So off to Lenasia with only two hours to go before they closed at 1pm. On the way I was stopped for speeding by the Metro Police but after telling him my woes he left me go on my way with a warning. Thank you. On arriving at Lanasia was no queue but when they requested all my documents, I found that I did not have my ID book on me. So I arranged for a copy to be emailed to me which I managed to get printed that the SAPS Vehicle Unit. The paper work took a bit long but I was within an hour and a half back on my way to the Roodepoort Licence Department. Handing the police papers in, I had my clearance within 5mins.

People to thank, firstly to the Supervisor at the Roodepoort Licence Department for all his help and to the SAPS Vehicle Unit in Lenasia. Big thanks for desperately finding my patience.