Despite machine's repairs, close to 700 000 driving licence cards remain unprinted
There is a daunting backlog of over 700 000 unprinted cards, leaving many motorists in limbo.
Image: Independent Newspapers Archives
Motorists who applied for the renewal of their drivers licence cards months ago may have to wait even longer to receive their new cards.
This comes as Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said the backlog of driving licences as of May 15 was estimated at 733 000 cards.
The backlog occurred when the country's sole drivers' licence card printing machine broke down earlier this year.
While the Department of Transport announced earlier last month that the driving licence printing machine was fixed and operations have resumed, the machine had been inoperative since February 5, resulting in a backlog of more than 700 000 unprinted cards.
To reduce the backlog, the Department of Transport’s Driving Licence Card Agency extended the working hours of its staff members.
In response to parliamentary questions from Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said the backlog of driving licences as of May 15 was estimated at 733,000 cards.
Zibi also asked how many employees it takes to operate the machine and how much overtime pay has been paid to employees due to lost printing time because of machine breakdowns.
Creecy revealed the machine’s major breakdowns in the past financial year are as follows:
- 2022/23 - 26 working days
- 2023/24 - 48 working days
- 2024/25 - 17 working days
- 2025/26 - 38 working days
Over the same period, repairs and maintenance costs:
- 2022/23 - R9,267,862,33
- 2023/24 - R1,651,772,57
- 2024/25 - R544,747,64
- 2025/26 - R624,988,10 (to date)
Overtime payment for staff, over the last few financial years, has been:
- 2022/23 - R1,435,376,79
- 2023/24 - R1,608,102,52
- 2024/25 - R1,351,473,78
- 2025/26 - R0,00
Creecy said it takes four people to operate the machine.
About progress made with the process to acquire a new driving licence card printing machine, the ministry's response said: “The Minister has directed that a declaratory order be sought from a competent court on the tender to acquire a new machine, in order to ensure that no further irregular expenditure occurs.”
The tender process has a complicated history. A tender process was launched in November 2022, but the department failed to identify a suitable service provider. “We had to go back in 2023, and that process brought us to August last year where there was a service provider which was appointed,” department spokesperson Collen Msibi said in a radio interview last month.
However, the Auditor-General flagged irregularities in the appointment process, halting progress. To resolve the impasse, the department has now sought a declaratory order for the court to decide whether we go ahead with that service provider.
Msibi confirmed that provincial authorities have been briefed, and motorists who applied for renewals before expiry can use their receipt and expired card. “If you’ve applied after the expiry of your licence, of course it means you are illegal on the road,” Msibi added.