Drivers licence irony

If you have been following recent posts to this blog, you will be aware that I am having a huge bureaucratic problem trying to finalise financing for a new car, all centred around a South African drivers licence.

In summary, it appears that credit legislation requires me to have a valid South African drivers licence, in the correct credit card format, before any financing can be approved.

You can imagine then how my heart leapt into my throat this morning, when a traffic officer pulled me off the road in a routine check and asked me for my drivers licence. I greeted him politely and casually gave him my UK drivers licence, which I have been using for the last 6 years in England, and last 6 weeks in South Africa. Having checked it over, and checked that I had a valid tax disk on my car, the officer returned my licence and allowed me on my way without further query…

Strange, I thought, how I can drive a vehicle – a large hunk of metal capable of killing and maiming, with my UK drivers licence – but without a South African drivers licence, I cannot purchase one.

I am not sure that the alternatives I am thinking of are printable here….