Bad news for South Africans with expired driving licence cards

Department of Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi says it will take four to six months to clear the current driving licence production backlog, which now sits at 690,000.

Speaking to 947, Msibi debunked reports that South Africa’s driving licence printer had broken down again, saying it has been working perfectly since it was fixed in the first week of May.

“About 269,000 cards have been printed already, so the backlog is now sitting at 690,000, which is still a big number,” he said.

“In terms of reducing the backlog as a whole, we try to do the monthly updates, but we’re looking at about four to six months.”

It should be noted that Msibi’s figure of 269,000 cards being produced since the machine returned likely includes new card applications, as the backlog has only reduced by around 43,000 cards since 15 May.

Msibi added that motorists normally receive their new licence card within “about 14 days” from the application date.

“Now, with this backlog, things are obviously changing. So you’re looking at about four to six weeks to be able to get your driver’s licence card,” he said.

“But all is not lost. If you applied for your driver’s licence card before the current one expires, you must just keep your receipt with you in the car.”

Msibi’s feedback comes after some news reports misinterpreted transport minister Barbara Creecy’s response to parliamentary questions, in which she gave stats on the backlog.

Some news reports took her response to mean the machine had broken down again since returning to service in early May 2025.

Responding to questions from Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi, Creecy revealed that the driving licence backlog sat at 733,000 as of 15 May 2025.

Since 15 May, eighteen working days have passed and the DLCA has printed an average of under 2,400 cards per day. At this tempo, it will take just over 13 months to clear the backlog.

Printer costs South Africa R16 million in three years

South Africa’s only driving licence printer is old and prone to breakdowns. It has cost taxpayers R16 million in maintenance and overtime labour since the start of the 2022/23 financial year.

According to Creecy, the printing machine has been in operation since 1998, and it has been offline for 129 working days due to major breakdowns since April 2022.

According to a report commissioned by the Road Traffic Management Corporation, it should have been replaced in 2009.

Downtime totalled 26 days in the 2022/23 financial year, and repair costs for the period were nearly R9.27 million. To compensate for the downtime, employees were paid R1.4 million for overtime.

The machine was out of action for 48 days in 2023/24, with repair costs for the period totalling R1.65 million. R1.61 million was spent on overtime pay for the machine’s operators.

Repairs and maintenance expenses decreased to R544,747.64 in the 2024/25 financial year, during which the machine was offline for 38 days.

Operators were paid R1.35 million in overtime during the financial year.

Therefore, a total of R12.1 million has been spent on maintenance and a further R4.4 million on overtime pay since 1 April 2022.

The table below summarises machine downtime, repair and maintenance costs, and overtime pay from the start of the 2022/23 financial year until 15 May 2025.