Online driver’s licence renewal launched — with one catch
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has launched its online system to enable South Africans to renew their vehicle registration and pay without leaving their homes.
According to RTMC chief executive officer Makhosini Msibi, the online payment system will also apply to driver’s licence card renewals.
“The system is going to be easier from [now on],” he told eNCA.
“We are making it easy for all South Africans to conduct this business in the comfort of their homes, without having to queue at the DLTCs.”
However, when renewing a driver’s licence card, South African’s will still need to visit a Driver’s Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) to have their fingerprints captured.
“I must emphasise that this is for the renewal of the motor licencing. We haven’t taken the second stage of the driver’s licence,” Msibi said.
“With the online driver’s licence [renewal], we will still require you to report at the DLTC for eye tests.”
Msibi also said that DLTCs could conduct eye testing, or renewal applicants could have their eyes tested independently by an optometrist.
“Alternatively, if you have gone to the optometrist, then you will still need to come in because we still need your finger,” he said.
When it comes to vehicle licence disc renewals, implementing the online payment system means that South Africans will not have to stand in long queues or pay in cash when they need to renew their licence disc.
South Africans can make online payments via a credit card or electronic funds transfer (EFT).
“You’ll pay using a credit card to renew a driver’s licence, and also [be provided with] a variety of options,” Msibi said.
These options include whether you want to pick up the card from a testing centre or deliver it to your home.
When asked for clarification, Msibi said that South Africans renewing their driver’s licence online could also make payment via EFT.
The RTMC has launched the platform in partnership with First National Bank, which provides the online payment gateway.
Transport minister Fikile Mbalula, earlier this year, had promised that the Department of Transport and RTMC were working on launching an eNatis online payment system.
The system was initially believed to have gone live in October 2021.
But the South African Post Office, which will handle deliveries of all documents renewed via the service, later confirmed the system had been delayed until early 2022 due to technical and legal requirements.
Meanwhile, the Post Office launched its own online vehicle licence renewal service earlier this year.
Therefore, two government organisations are now competing against one another — and various private third-party service providers — to provide the same service.