Here we go again! South Africans trying to renew their driver’s licences are in for a rough ride because – wait for it… the only machine that prints licence cards in Mzansi is broken. Again.
Word is that the machine packed up back in January, and it’s been downhill ever since. According to an inside scoop from the Department of Transport speaking to City Press, the machine breaks down more than an old Freightliner with blown airbags – and now there’s a serious backlog of unprinted licences piling up like broken-down trucks on Olifantskop’s Pass.
A frustrated motorist at a Western Cape DLTC says they haven’t received any new licence cards for 2025. Not even one. All they’re getting are temporary paper licences, which, let’s be honest, are just a magnet for unnecessary traffic stops.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy did speak up last month, saying the ancient machine is being babied with maintenance while they search for interim solutions. But at this rate, it’s like slapping duct tape on a cracked sump.
Outa isn’t keeping quiet either. They fired off a letter demanding answers and called for the driving licence validity to be extended from five to ten years. They’ve been saying this since 2022, nogal, arguing that it’ll reduce red tape and save everyone money. Turns out, this was actually gazetted in 2013 but never implemented. Classic.
To make things worse, Creecy’s team has also taken legal action to halt a dodgy R500 million tender for new machines. The current supplier, a French company, got the deal even though the Auditor-General flagged serious irregularities.
Bottom line? The public is stuck in the middle of another government mess, and truckers especially are going to feel it hard. No card, no peace of mind on the road. Creecy and her crew owe the country answers – and fast.
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