Vehicle registration in Maseru halted for weeks

…as ACP Mokete vows to restore normalcy

Rethabile Pitso

THE Department of Traffic has suspended vehicle registration services following the depletion of police clearance books required in the registration process.

The clearance books are used by the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to issue certificates confirming that vehicles or their parts have not been stolen. As the certificates are a mandatory requirement for registration, the disruption has effectively brought vehicle registration services to a standstill.

One frustrated motorist told the Sunday Express that the suspension had already lasted for three weeks, with no clear indication of when services would resume.

Ministry of Public Works and Transport Public Relations Officer, Ntumeleng Ntšekhe, explained that the vehicle registration process is jointly handled by the Revenue Services Lesotho (RSL), the CID and the Department of Traffic through a “One Stop” facility established to simplify the registration process.

She said although the three institutions operate under one roof, each remains independently responsible for its own budget, procurement and stationery requirements.

“The registration process begins at RSL before moving to the police department and then the traffic department. The decision to house the three institutions in one building was meant to improve ease of doing business,” Ms Ntšekhe said.

“However, the three institutions are interconnected through one system, which means vehicle registration can only be completed once all institutional requirements have been met simultaneously. As a result, inefficiency in one institution affects the operations of the other two.”

Contacted for comment, CID head and Deputy Commissioner of Police, Advocate Paseka Mokete, said efforts to procure new clearance books began immediately after the shortage was discovered.

He, however, admitted that the process had been delayed by procurement bottlenecks.

“As soon as I was informed that the clearance books had run out, we took steps to secure new stock. Since I am not directly involved in procurement matters, I can only assume that the delays occurred because the government printer was waiting for funds to reflect in its account before processing the order.

“However, I have since followed up and I am satisfied that the order has now been dispatched,” Adv Mokete said.

He stressed that the department could not resort to alternative methods in the absence of the official clearance books because of the sensitive nature of the information recorded in them.

“That book is a highly sensitive tool containing delicate information about both the vehicle and its owner. Unfortunately, when the books run out, there is no alternative system that can be used because the data can only be properly captured in those official books.

“Any attempt to substitute or duplicate the process would create risks and could open loopholes for criminal activities. We cannot compromise the integrity of the process because opportunists may take advantage of any weakness. The system has to remain legitimate,” he said.

Adv Mokete also dismissed suggestions that the shortage was caused by negligence, saying it was difficult for the department to accurately predict how quickly stationery would be depleted.

“It is not easy to determine how long the stationery will last because demand fluctuates. On one day, we may register 50 vehicles, while on another day there may be none. Such variations directly affect stock levels.

“The public should understand that incidents of this nature do not arise from negligence. There are often operational factors behind the scenes that affect outcomes,” he said.

He added that the department was eager to restore services as soon as the new stationery became available.

Meanwhile, motorists affected by the delays say the suspension has severely inconvenienced them and have urged the government to ensure that vehicle registration services resume without further delay.