The Department of Transport has been ordered to re-advertise the bid.
South Africa’s long-delayed plan to acquire a new driver’s licence card printing machine has received a major boost after the High Court in Pretoria confirmed a declaratory order setting aside an irregular R898 million tender.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy confirmed that the court on Tuesday, 6 January 2026, ruled that the contract awarded to the South African subsidiary of French multinational technology company Idemia was unlawful and invalid.
The tender, awarded in August 2024, followed a bidding process that began in April and concluded in May 2023.
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However, serious concerns were later raised by the Auditor-General, who found that the procurement process did not comply with legislative requirements.
In response to these findings, Creecy instructed the Department of Transport in March 2025 to approach the high court for a declaratory order to obtain legal clarity on the matter.
The Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) had reportedly budgeted just over R486 million for the new machine.
Idemia’s bid, however, was allegedly either R762 million or R898 million.
Driver’s licence card printing machine tender set aside
The court has since ordered that the tender be set aside and instructed the Department of Transport to re-advertise the bid within 30 days.
The department was also granted permission to temporarily outsource the printing and issuing of driving licence cards to the Department of Home Affairs, pending the appointment of a new service provider.
Reacting to the judgment, Creecy welcomed the outcome, saying it reaffirmed the department’s stance on ethical procurement.
“[This] is a vindication of the department’s commitment to the transparency and legitimacy of tender processes with the decision to approach the court for guidance on the matter as a necessary step for effective regulation,” the department’s statement reads.
Licence card backlog cleared
Meanwhile, the Department of Transport reported that the DLCA had successfully cleared the backlog of outstanding driving licence cards in early December 2025.
The backlog had accumulated following a breakdown of the ageing printing machine between February and May last year.
Between 8 May and 8 December, the DLCA printed more than 2.2 million driving licence cards , according to the department.
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In a further development, the State Security Agency has approved a prototype driving licence card designed by the Government Printing Works (GPW).
“The establishment of the network connection between the Road Traffic Management Corporation [RTMC] and GPW was successfully tested.
“This will allow the transfer of data/files required by GPW to print the driving license cards.
“A process will soon be undertaken to [seek] Cabinet approval of the prototype card design,” the statement concluded.
Old machine breakdowns
South Africa’s current driver’s licence card printing machine, which is more than 25 years old, has experienced persistent breakdowns over several financial years, costing R12.09 million since April 2022.
Creecy previously revealed that during the 2022-23 financial year, the machine was non-operational for 26 working days, with repair and maintenance costs amounting to R9.27 million.
In the 2023-24 financial year, the machine was down for 48 days, incurring costs of R1.65 million .
The following year, it was out of commission for 17 days, with R545 000 spent on repairs.
The machine was out of operation for 38 days (as of June 2025), with repair and maintenance costs totalling R625 000 in the current 2025-26 financial year.
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