Driver’s licence card expiry date extension in South Africa — Just do it
The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) believes extending driver’s licence card validity periods to eight years is a step in the right direction but isn’t happy with the minister’s approach to passing the necessary legislation.
Transport minister Fikile Mbalula recently announced that his department would propose an extension from five to eight years to the rest of President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet.
“We are changing the lifespan, timeframe of the driver’s licence…it will be eight years. We are going to cabinet with that,” Mbalula said.
Outa has been pushing for the validity period of South Africa’s driver’s licence cards to be extended to ten years, which it says is on par with most developed countries around the globe.
However, it says an extension to eight years is a step in the right direction.
“Outa is of the opinion that an extension to eight years is a move in the right direction and that it is still significant, this is good news for motorists,” it told MyBroadband.
Mbalula’s decision to propose an extension to cabinet came after several civil action groups, like Outa, Afriforum, and the Automobile Association of South Africa, campaigned for the change.
Wayne Duvenage, Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse CEO
However, Outa noted that no one had yet seen a formal proposal or the research used to reach the proposed eight-year period.
Outa had previously conducted its own research and found that the average validity period for driver’s licences globally is 8.5 years.
The civil action organisation also disagrees with Mbalula’s approach to having the change approved, saying he could easily do it without Cabinet approval.
“It is important to note that the Minister indicated that he would first have to present the proposal for extension of drivers license validity to 8 years to Cabinet and that this proposal has to be passed by Cabinet,” Outa said.
“Outa respectfully disagrees with the Minister’s approach and is of the opinion that this change can easily be effected by the Minister himself, by publishing new regulations in the Government Gazette and that the Minister does not need Cabinet approval before this can be done.”
South Africa’s new driver’s licence cards
Cabinet approved South Africa’s new driving licence card on 2 September 2022, and Mbalula announced a launch date for the redesigned cards.
The new card design promises more secure features, and Mbalula said it would be piloted from 1 November 2023 until 31 March 2024.
New driver’s licence card design (front)
Mbalula said this would happen after the procurement process for the necessary equipment beginning in October 2022.
He said the existing driver’s licence card production infrastructure will be decommissioned on 1 April 2024, after which a five-year transition period will come into effect.
“The current cards will continue to be recognised as valid licence cards until 31 March 2029,” he added.
In his announcement, Mbalula referenced research conducted by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).
The RTMC found that validity periods for countries ranked above South Africa according to the World Health Organization (WHO) averaged 9.3 years, while those ranked lower averaged 4.4.
Mbalula explained that the almost ten-year validity period is applicable in developed nations with much higher road safety ratios than in South Africa.
“This is an important factor in validating a longer renewal period in line with international best practice,” he added.
Loading ...