Printing of driving licence cards is ‘back in full swing’

TRANSPORT Minister Fikile Mbalula has stated that the printing of driving licence cards is back in full swing and work is under way to clear the backlog caused by a production machine breakdown late last year.

Mbalula and management of the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) and Driving Licence Card (DLCA) provided an update the card licence production backlog.

“As we approach the end of the grace period for the renewal of driving licences on March 31, 2022, we have paid particular attention to the challenges experienced by drivers in this regard. The previous extensions of the validity period were meant to address the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 restrictions,” Mbalula said.

Kevin Kara-Val, of the RTMC, explained that the current driving licence card was implemented in 1998 and the current machine has been in operations since then.

He added that the card production function was outsourced to a private company from 1998 until 2015, when the DLCA took over operations and inherited the infrastructure.

Mbalula said that on November 7 last year, the production machine broke down as a result of an electrical surge caused by flooding from an adjacent building.

He said technicians at the DLCA, supported by the RTMC, managed to isolate the problematic component but the faulty part had to be flown out of the country for repairs.

The minister added that the repair process was hampered by the festive season closure and international Covid-19 restrictions.

“In a few weeks, the damaged component was fixed and production of driving licence cards resumed on January 20, 2022. As on February 1, 2022, the backlog of renewal applications awaiting cards stood at 597,492. In the two weeks since the production process resumed, the DLCA has produced 128,436 driving licence cards,” Mbalula said.

He said that card production was in full swing again and work was under way to clear the backlog and that the printing was done in a manner that prioritises those who have been waiting the longest.

“Considering that the current backlog of 597,000 is awaiting to be printed, we anticipate that it will take approximately four months to clear the backlog. The backlog of the cards currently in the system will be cleared by April 2022,” the minister said.

According to the department, the total backlog of driving licences that would have expired by March 31, that have yet to be renewed, was 2.1 million nationwide. Of this number, those that fall within the Covid-19 extension account for 70%, 1.5 million.

Gauteng accounts for the highest number of licences not yet renewed at 744,717 (35% of the national tally), followed by KwaZulu-Natal at 345,433.

“With an estimated production of 400,000 cards per month, the DLCA estimates that the 2.1 million backlog will be cleared by September 2022,” Mbalula said.

The minister said the National Road Traffic regulations provide a temporary reprieve for motorists who have applied for renewal of their cards to continue using the expired card for a period not exceeding three months. However, this is conditional to the motorists having in his or possession both the expired driving licence, proof of renewal and the application must have been made before the expiry of the card.