City pilots card payments at vehicle registration centres

City-wide roll out

The use of card payment facilities will be tested for approximately one week at the motor vehicle registration (MVR) office at the Cape Town Civic Centre before the City expands this service to other MVR facilities across Cape Town. This service will be rolled out next to the MVR office in the Promenade Mall in Mitchells Plain which will be followed by weekly roll-outs to the MVR offices in Milnerton, Khayelitsha, Plumstead and other MVR offices across the metro.

The city-wide roll out to MVR offices is expected to take approximately two months. The expansion of card payment facilities for the payment of rates and tariff accounts, building plan and land use applications and traffic fines will take a bit longer as system upgrades are required.

Large payments and banking fees

The City will accept payments of up to R5,000 per transaction by credit or debit card, or any other means of payment which does not hold any cost implications for the client. This amount covers most transactions by our clients, be it for motor vehicle licences, rates and services bills, or other sundry payments. The City will, however, reclaim the relevant banking fee for any payment over R5,000.

Clients are thus encouraged to make electronic payments for large transactions with the City, as this will result in minimal bank reclaims of banking charges. Electronic (EFT) payments carry the lowest bank charges. Currently, more than 60% of payments to the City are via EFT payments.

Ongoing improvement in convenience

"Our first day of testing went well and 103 card transactions to a value of approximately R45,000 were processed. The roll-out of credit and debit card payments at all of the City’s customer centres further enhances the City’s ongoing improvement in convenience to assist our clients to pay their municipal bills and minimises their need to handle cash.

"The success of our online offerings, such as receiving municipal accounts by e-mail, the option of registering for the City’s e-services portal which allows for online payments of rates, tariff and motor vehicle licence payments for City clients, as well as the option of making payments at third-party sites such as supermarkets, is now complemented by the improved functionality at the City’s own customer centres,’ said the City’s executive deputy mayor, Alderman Ian Neilson.