Further Vehicle Licence Renewal Extension For Some Motorists

Motorists who are due to renew their motor vehicle licences by 31 August 2020, including those who were given a three-month grace period because of the Covid-19 lockdown, are advised that they now have until 22 September 2020 to renew their licence discs.

The City of Cape Town advises motorists who were given a three-month Covid-19 licence renewal extension to 31 August 2020, this includes licences that expired on 31 March 2020, 30 April 2020 and 31 May 2020, and those whose licences will expire on 31 August, now have the chance to renew by 22 September 2020.

The City has confirmed this extension with officials from the Western Cape Government and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC). No interest or penalties will be charged if motor vehicle licences are renewed on or before 22 September 2020.

The City first needed to confirm that traffic officials would not fine motorists from 1 September to 22 September for licences that have expired on 31 March 2020, 30 April and 31 May 2020, part of the original three-month lockdown grace period.

RTMC officials have confirmed this applies across the country. The extension aims to help alleviate the pressure at customer offices across the metro and in South Africa and to assist more motorists with their renewals.

Advice: Renew your licence online if possible and note there may be a delay due to backlogs and high volumes. If you need to visit a customer office, go early in the day and note the City is only able to operate with reduced staff due to the Covid-19 regulations that must be adhered to.

The City’s cash and motor vehicle licensing offices have allocated more dedicated staff to assist customers with motor vehicle registration and licensing (MVRL) enquiries and City staff are assisting with online motor licensing enquiries and technical difficulties.

We remind customers that as a result of the influx of online MVRL renewal applications, postal service delays may occur. The South African Post Office (SAPO) has however assured the City that it will deliver to customers as soon as possible.

Customers are reminded of the following (regulations as per the National Department of Transport):

Licence discs that expired on 31 March 2020, on 30 April 2020, and on 31 May 2020, should now be renewed by 22 September 2020
Discs that expired on 30 June 2020: payment and renewal had to be renewed by 21 July 2020
Discs that expired on 31 July 2020: payment and renewal had to be renewed by 21 August 2020
Discs that will expire on 31 August 2020: renew by 22 September 2020
Motor trade vehicle numbers/trade plate for motor vehicle dealers: renew by 31 November 2020
Driver licences, learner’s licences, and roadworthy certificates: renew by 31 January 2021

Customers who could not renew their licences due to lockdown, but who needed to renew their licences before 26 March when the lockdown was implemented but failed to do so, will unfortunately have to pay penalties. Note that online applications over the March, April and May months needed to be redone because of the passage of time.

Fines cannot be written off as it is not a decision the City can make. This falls within the ambit of the National Department of Transport and the City follows the prescripts of the applicable regulations and legislation.

The City continues to engage the Western Cape Government, the National Department of Transport and the RTMC on this issue.

The City is only an agent of the other government spheres when it comes to vehicle licensing, they hold the authority. The Ministry did not include this scenario for penalties to be written off for vehicle licences that have expired before the lockdown.

To check customer office operating hours, please visit the Operations and Service Notifications document on the City’s website or the City’s social media pages ahead of time if unsure.

What to expect when visiting an office:

Covid-19 screening at the entrances
Limited number of customers allowed in at a time
Social distancing is required and must be adhered to
Visit early in the day. There are longer queues due to reduced staff at some offices as required by Covid-19 regulations and high volumes of transactions are being experienced.
You only need your ID for motor vehicle licensing and registration renewals