Drivers patiently wait for renewed licence cards

South African motorists needing to renew their licences will have to exercise patience owing to a recent breakdown of the country’s sole licence card printing machine.

According to reports, the machine is 26 years old and has had an astronomical 159 breakdowns over the years.

Demanding answers from Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, is the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse’s (Outa) CEO Wayne Duvenage who believes it is time to implement 10-year renewals instead of five, which could be the key to ‘alleviating administrative burdens, reducing backlogs, and lowering costs for both motorists and the government’.

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“Research we undertook in 2022 shows that many countries have already extended the validity period of their driver’s licence cards to ten years or more without compromising road safety,” said Duvenage.

He recalled meetings with then-minister Fakile Mbalula to which the minister committed to an eight-year validity period, but these changes have still not been implemented.

“It should also be noted that a ten-year validity period was gazetted in 2013, but then mysteriously withdrawn,” explained Duvenage.
“We believe the Department of Transport cannot continue to avoid this issue.”

Commenting on reports made by an unconfirmed source, it is speculated that the machine has been ‘out-of-service’ since January.

He said, “Motorists are once again being subjected to delays and inconvenience due to the ongoing failures of this outdated system.

“The department must explain why the machine is not operational, despite previous repairs and maintenance contracts.”

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While drivers wait for resolution, they are urged to remember that in terms of the National Road Traffic Act, an expired driving licence card will remain valid for a period of three months from the date of expiry, if a renewal application was made before the expiry date.

Owing to the issue at hand, those outside of the three-month grace period are required to be in possession of their expired licence and proof of payment in the event of being stopped by traffic officials.

However, if there is no end in sight, drivers will have to apply for a temporary licence which is valid for six months.

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