SA Driver’s licence renewing Update: The last stop for South Africans trying to renew their driver’s licence has literally turned out to be. The only one valid card-printing machine in the country has been down since January 2025, say insiders at the Department of Transport. This machine has a long history of breakdowns, and now it is holding up the entire country in anguish and torment.
LA Road Testing Cars Still Backlogged
In provinces like the Western Cape, DLTCs have not issued one single 2025 licence card. Temporary ones are being given to motorists as they wait for their ancient printer to come back to life – again. That’s not service. That’s survival.
Minister Creecy Declares It An Unholy Mess
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, in early March, did not spare words in declaring the oldest machine there is for the breakdown. She is now advocating for better maintenance facilities while asking the acting director-general to investigate “interim solutions.” But nobody seems prepared to mention how long any of this would take-or, for that matter, how long people would be sitting wait.
OUTA To The Rescue: Time to U-Turn?
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) believes it is now time for a new paradigm in the solution. They have called on the minister to extend the validity of the licence from 5 years to 10, a decision they insist would eradicate the backlog and administrative load while saving costs for both the motorist and the government. They are enforcing their recommendations with research done by OUTA in 2022 that shows that a lot of countries already have 10-year licences without jeopardising the safety of roads.
A Tender Wrapped In Drama
Awkward spoke of the tender. A R500 million contract was awarded to French company Idemia for the supply of three new license printing machines, but the Auditor-General found the deal laden with irregularities. Now a High Court application by Minister Creecy seeks to block the award.
Still, her attorneys warned that even if they cancelled it, that would only delay any relief longer. OUTA refused to buy that argument, stating that going with a flawed contract is just worse in the long run.
Printer Facts To Make You Blink
Through the ages, this old printer has had 159 breakdowns. Let that sink in: every time it breaks down, it is South Africans who find themselves unable to drive legally due to government incompetence!
Next In The Pipeline? The Public Needs Answers
OUTA has made three demands loud and clear:
- Why is the same broken printer still in use?
- What is the Department’s actual plan to modernize licensing?
- Why hasn’t the 10-year licence policy been implemented?
At this point, the people are over promises—they want transparency, action, and real reform. If we cannot even print a license card, what are we doing?
Also Read: South Africa’s R370 Grant for 18–59 Year Olds: Are You Eligible? Apply Now