EveryWoman

Save us from these Dobadobas

If authorities, particularly those in high offices of power are busy patting themselves on the back, confident and feeling victorious about having beaten the massive corruption at the Directorate of Road Traffic Safety Services (DRTSS) and some Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA) departments, well, I have news for them. They better wake up and pay close attention to what I am about to unravel. If they choose to turn a blind eye or deaf ear, well, don’t say I didn’t try. I guess a leopard indeed never loses its spots. Yes, the systems have been put in place, but some unscrupulous entities will stop at nothing to beat the system and still earn their dirty money in kick-backs.
Let me start with my experiences at Blantyre Port. Immediately you enter the gate, you are greeted by a swarm of middlepersons dubbed as ‘agents’ who tell you point blank that you cannot process anything on your own. They claim that finding an engine number for every car is their biggest trial and well, if you insist on processing yourself, the staff openly resist you and become hostile. They sneer: “That is when those boys come in handy”. It is an open show of support for the Dobadobas, raising the suspicion that they are in it together.
The common language for the middlepersons is to create a huge mountain of the task of checking the engine number. They claim (almost for every vehicle) that the engine number is way within the metal maze of the entire engine, requiring them to get underneath the car and it does not come cheap. Once you engage them, it is a matter of seconds before they give the results, but will still demand a hefty amount.
Meanwhile, the staff lay low until the Dobadobas have done their job. Why should an entire MRA not have experts to check engine numbers rather than direct customers to these outsiders? Is it not part of the job of the MRA assessors? Why are clients made to pay extra from the legal charge? Is there any liability by MRA in case of a mishap?
Attempting to fill out the customs clearance certificate form is another major test to the authenticity of one’s literacy—at least from the attitudes that surround the NBS payment section. There, eyes barrow through you as if you are some alien who has no knowledge of the pen or letters. They are not ashamed to come right at you and stare at your every movement and when you protest, they will claim to be minding their business. The idea is to massage some insecurity so that you surrender the work to them at a fee. If you resist, you feel a combined set of eyes ganged up at one corner of the room sharing whispers. All that time, bank officials merely look at you, enjoying the intimidation.
My take is that they are in it together and partake in the middlepersons loot. Otherwise, where is the security? How safe are clients if they are perpetually harassed by strangers, who even offer to take the vehicle through all processes, including to police for the clearance report? Are we waiting for a calamity before these people can be removed from these premises?
To conclude, do the authorities know that a certificate of fitness (COF) is still being processed without the owner of the vehicle’s thumb print at a hefty fee? There could be other happenings, but I have dwelt on those I experienced lately. It is easy to go under cover and check these. If not, I am available at a fee. Lol.

Related Articles

Back to top button