South Africa could earn R11 billion in profit from new driver's licence printers

Daniel Puchert

Daniel Puchert

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R11-billion driving licence pain in South Africa

South Africa's alleged manipulated driver's licence card printer tender could be nullified before the end of the month, preventing South Africans from paying R11 billion in unnecessary payments to the government.

In fact, it could also be a good time for South Africa to reassess whether it needs a physical driver's licence document at all.
 
The points-based demerit system will never work unless law enforcement officials are able to verify a driver's licence in real time. So maybe we should be happy that they're so dysfunctional.
 
Scooby_Doo said:
How hard could it be to create a app or website that a cop could use on their phone.

I have to use a bunch of work related apps to login and communicate - literally everyone has a phone.
Click to expand...

Then you would need to sponsor data so they could sit and watch porn all day and buy a new phone every few months because the old one got "stolen"
 
Is a physical card really necessary? At a roadblock on Prince George Drive in December, a CT Metro Cop took my licence to the large van for "checking". After 15 mins I got out and went to this van, to be told I was not to come any closer and go and wait. I spoke to another cop who went to look and said that they don't have the licence

I wrote down the number of the Metro Cop (much to her annoyance) and spoke to a lady at the call centre traffic dept. She implied it was my fault for handing over the card without getting a receipt. After listening to this nonsense I got hold of the HillStar testing centre, who dispatch staff.

Still awaiting for a satisfactory outcome. In the meantime, have applied for a replacement. Apparently there is no option on the application for "confiscated card" and staff do not know what to do
 
deweyzeph said:
The points-based demerit system will never work unless law enforcement officials are able to verify a driver's licence in real time. So maybe we should be happy that they're so dysfunctional.
Click to expand...
They can verifiy in realtime in cpt and check your fines, the cops in cpt does not play around.
 
Gtx Gaming said:
They can verifiy in realtime in cpt and check your fines, the cops in cpt does not play around.
Click to expand...

Not just Cape Town, but the whole of the Western Cape. I went through multiple roadblocks during the holidays on the N2 (got stopped in Riversdale, Swellendam, Plett and Heidelberg) and in all cases the officer had a hand held device that simply scanned the barcode on the license and scanned the barcode on the vehicle disc. Never seen officers do this outside of the Western Cape though.
 
chrisc said:
Is a physical card really necessary? At a roadblock on Prince George Drive in December, a CT Metro Cop took my licence to the large van for "checking". After 15 mins I got out and went to this van, to be told I was not to come any closer and go and wait. I spoke to another cop who went to look and said that they don't have the licence

I wrote down the number of the Metro Cop (much to her annoyance) and spoke to a lady at the call centre traffic dept. She implied it was my fault for handing over the card without getting a receipt. After listening to this nonsense I got hold of the HillStar testing centre, who dispatch staff.

Still awaiting for a satisfactory outcome. In the meantime, have applied for a replacement. Apparently there is no option on the application for "confiscated card" and staff do not know what to do
Click to expand...
You have the most intense anecdotes
 
What about manpower and material costs? The real problem with the >R200 is that it's recurring. It does cost about R200 to approve and produce a licence but they artificially increase the volume which makes it cheaper.
 
Scooby_Doo said:
How hard could it be to create a app or website that a cop could use on their phone.

I have to use a bunch of work related apps to login and communicate - literally everyone has a phone.
Click to expand...
They're not able to do digital TV, when the rest of the world switched 13 years ago.
 
Couldn't our smart IDs do this already? Surely cheaper than whole separate drivers licenses that must also be carried around.
 
Danie_V said:
Couldn't our smart IDs do this already? Surely cheaper than whole separate drivers licenses that must also be carried around.
Click to expand...

But you need a separate card so some cadres can buy obscenely stupid shyte.
 
Scooby_Doo said:
How hard could it be to create a app or website that a cop could use on their phone.

I have to use a bunch of work related apps to login and communicate - literally everyone has a phone.
Click to expand...

Don't even need phones.

Last time I was pulled over outside George they just used this mobile scanner and printed a fine from it right then and there.

It already exists in the Western Cape.
 
SauRoNZA said:
How do you "earn" or make a "profit" from something that never happened in the first place?
Click to expand...

PR.

We wouldn't earn R11bn, we may just find a different way to waste R11bn and some cadres orders at Rolls and Ferrari are going to go unfulfilled for a bit longer.
 
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