A morning at the Revenue

An unplanned visit to the local Revenue office took up my morning. Having tried unsuccessfully for some months to sort out a problem with them telephonically and via email (what a surprise), I girded my loins and set off to do battle.
Just driving into town was again one of those unloved experiences with some unbelievably bad driving in evidence - can you believe that people actually stop on Ou Kaapse Weg to let cars feed in from Noordhoek? It's not a 4-way stop and one can only shake one's fist at the misguided individuals who almost cause multiple pile-ups for the unsuspecting drivers coming round the bend to find an unexpected stationary car. And let me not mention the roadhogs who hold up the rest of the traffic by travelling at 20kmh below the speed limit.
On approaching the SARS building, I was dismayed to see a queue snaking round the building. It was obviously many years since I had had the pleasure. I was directed to the back of the queue - let me add that the southeaster was what the weatherman euphemistically calls 'fresh' - where I was told that the queue manager would ask me where I wished to go. And he duly did, sticking a green sticker on the back of my hand and pointing me to another gratifyingly short queue. I had hardly joined it when a very efficient woman came out of the building and issued orders for a further redistribution of the queues, in a way I would think resembled the mustering of the passengers and crew on the deck of a sinking ship.
Within five minutes I was at a desk where my cellphone number was tapped into a screen and a message came up with my number and directions to the 3rd floor - all from a glance at the green sticker on my hand.
Up in the lift into a room filled with personnel waiting to assist the 20 or so people looking relaxed in some quite comfortable chairs. A screen overhead called each number and directed us to the relevant desk. Turnover time was impressive. We were constantly receiving information on the progress of the queue.
My turn came and I can only say that the lady was helpful, knowledgeable, sympathetic and made the whole experience a pleasure. Just under two hours from arrival to departure was not an excessive time.
The overall assessment: surprising, orderly, well organised, good communication, efficient, a simple system that works.