Geez. So I am not the only one with problems with travel allowance red tape.

I have been told by the tax-man that my travel allowance is to be disregarded because I did not fill in my speedometer readings in my tax form.

Actually I received a long letter from Mr Green telling me that I did not do something correctly and so my travel allowance was being disregarded. He did not tell me that I had not filled the box on page three, three lines from the top.

I never understood that this was the real reason until after the month allowed for complaints had passed; the reason for this being that the "tax expert" who I first went to, did not explain this to me.

He told me to bring him all the relevant documenation.

I did this. He took three weeks to answer me. (I did remind him a number of time.)

He then told me that I needed to have provided a log book. But if I fill in a log book I would have to diddle it in order to be entitled to tax rebate for travel allowance.

I am no diddler so I left it.

I then later only found out from someone else who had been in similar situation to me; that if I filled in the form differently I could have got the tax reduction! He showed me where I needed to have filled in this information. It was too late then and the problem was compounded by the fact that this car no longer exists as well. I crashed it, in the pouring rain, at 100km/h on the freeway on the 29th December 2004.

This was probably why I did not fill in those little boxes to start with.

So I have to find R3 800 to cough up to the tax man.

(Oh.. I also submitted the tax forms 2 years late - an additional R600 fine.)

All because I did not understand the red tape. If I had filled in the forms on time and correctly all then would have been better. (I hesitate to say good - that will have to wait until I have tested this theory.)

But I think I understand it now.

It cheered my day up immensely to find out that Deputy Prime Minister of South Africa - also does not know how to fill in forms and deal with red tape - when it comes to travel allowances.

Stange but true as testified by Shaik; and noted by Judge Squires.

When Shaik replied that the government provided Zuma with a travel allowance, Squires quickly remarked: "Then why couldn't he pay for his own Mercedes Benz?"

Squires seemed surprised with Shaik's explanation that there was too much red tape for the government to pay for the car and asked: "Even for a minister or the deputy president?"

Shaik said yes.

Though its a bit worrying that someone who can not deal competently with bureaucracy could be the next executive leader of the biggest bureaucracy in this country - the government.