Brackenfell licence drive-through extends weekday hours to 31 December

Motorists who need to renew a vehicle licence in the Cape Town area will have longer weekday hours at the Brackenfell drive-through facility until the end of the year, IOL reported.

The City of Cape Town has set the weekday hours at 7am to 6pm until 31 December. It describes the change as a pilot initiative. Saturday hours stay as they are, from 8.30am to 2pm.

What the City says

According to the report, the drive-through is built for speed, with an average transaction taking about five minutes. Alderman Siseko Mbandezi, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Finance, said the facility had been “incredibly successful” since it opened and had served thousands of motorists.

Mbandezi said that once the pilot ends, the City will study service demand data and then decide whether the longer weekday hours should carry on into the new year. He added that the City wants more residents to use the extended hours as the busier end-of-year period approaches.

What this means for motorists

If your licence is due for renewal, the longer day gives you more room to fit a visit around work or school runs. Here are the key points from the announcement:

• Weekday hours are 7am to 6pm until 31 December.
• Saturday hours are unchanged, from 8.30am to 2pm.
• The facility handles motor vehicle licence renewals only.
• It is cashless, so only debit and credit cards are accepted.

Anyone planning a trip should therefore bring a bank card rather than cash. Because the extension is a pilot, there is no guarantee the longer hours will continue after December. That decision depends on how many people use the service in the coming weeks. Motorists who want to avoid the year-end rush may be better off going sooner rather than later, and can check with the City of Cape Town if they are unsure about anything else the service requires.

This story is based on reporting by IOL.