Driver’s licence expired while printing machine is broken? Here’s what you should do

The Department of Transport (DoT) has assured motorists that the broken driver’s licence machine is being repaired and that an “interim solution” will be available to alleviate the massive backlog.

Thousands of motorists are currently driving with expired licences, which has those behind the wheel worried.

Broken driver’s licence machine

This comes after South Africa’s only driver’s licence card printer broke down yet again.

It is understood that the machine had been out of order since January, creating a massive backlog in driver’s licences. A few to no cards have been issued since the start of the year.

The current licence card printing machine is 26 years old and has experienced almost 160 breakdowns, which have become more frequent.

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Interim solution

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy’s spokesperson Collen Msibi told The Citizen the driver’s licence machine broke down in February.

“We are in the process of repairing the machine, so we are hoping that’s in the next 2 to 3 weeks, it should be up and running, we are aiming for mid-May.

“But in the meantime, we’re also working on an interim solution, which is going to be outside of this old machine that we have, as you know it’s been there since 1998. So, we are working on an interim solution which is going to be announced by the minister in due course,” Msibi said.

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has called on the Transport Department to issue temporary driver’s licences free of charge.

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‘Serious situation’

Outa CEO Wayne Duvenhage told The Citizen that the situation is “very serious” and that Creecy must provide relief for drivers with expired licences.

“There’s a couple of options she should take. The first thing is that she should allow all temporary licences to be issued free of charge by the licensing authorities or secondly put out the gazette if need be that all licences that are expiring should be given at least one year reprieve – in other words, if a traffic officer stops you and your licence is supposed to renewed on 1 January 2025, well they should extend that automatically to 2026.”

‘Free licences’

However, Msibi said there is a cost that goes into the production of the temporary licences, and Creecy would be the best person to comment on the matter.

“But from a technical point of view and from an administration point of view there is a cost involved that goes into the production of the of the temporary licence, so we may have to then decide where does that money comes from if people are not paying for their temporary licences.”

Driver’s licences should be valid for 10 years

Duvenhage said they asked Creecy to extend the validity of driver’s licences to 10 years.

He said this was introduced in the past, but was reversed for no valid reason.

“This a norm around the country and this is something that was introduced by Dipuo Peters, the minister of transport in 2013, and for some strange reason, very quietly, they undid that decision and it was the right decision at the time. They’ve never explained why they reversed that decision,” Duvenhage said.  

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Expired licences

Msibi shared advice for motorists who had applied before and after their driver’s licences expired.

“Those who applied for the renewal of their cards before the expiry date of their current licence cards, what they need to do when they’re driving, they should keep in their possession a receipt, which is proof that they applied, but secondly, they should keep their old expired licence cards.

“So that would assist them in terms of not being penalised on the road, but we also encourage them to apply for the temporary licences. Those who applied after the expiry date … need to apply for a temporary licence,” Msibi said.  

‘Be courteous’

Duvenhage said traffic officers are aware of the fact that the machine is broken and there is a backlog.

“Obviously, speak courteously and nicely to the traffic officers, explain the situation, and they shouldn’t be a problem. But the sad thing is that you’re inconvenienced for having to go get a temporary licence at your cost, and what we’re saying is the minister should be putting out a statement to all licensing authorities to say this is a problem, please understand that the people have applied and should not be held liable for not having their licence.”

Technology

Duvenhage added that the country need to use technology for driver’s licences.

“We need to be able to integrate our driver’s licences with a virtual driver’s licence on your phone, linked to your ID card. There are so many things we can do.

“We still operate in a very archaic paper-based under-developed system and then we really need the Department of Transport to modernise and deal with the gross maladministration, ineptitude and corruption that is taking place in these departments where a lot of money is made and a lot of money is misspent,” Duvenhage said.

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