The government takes most money South Africans pay for driving licence cards

Most of the fees South African motorists pay to renew their driving licence cards don’t go towards the production of their cards. Instead, it is used to generate revenue for the state.

Driving licence renewal fees vary per province in South Africa, but the average charge is approximately R250.

The former driving licence project manager, Werner Koekemoer, told 702 that only a small part of the fee South African motorists pay to renew their licence cards goes into production.

“The full fee application that you pay when you go and apply for your licence or when you apply for a renewal or a duplicate, that full amount is not for the production,” he said.

“I don’t know what the exact figure is. It was around R250, let’s say R300, for a new card application. No more than R50 or R60 of that should be for the production of the card.”

According to Driving.co.za managing director Rob Handfield-Jones, the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s revenue from application fees is part of the reason it won’t scrap physical cards.

Handfield-Jones has long advocated for replacing South Africa’s physical driving licence cards with a digital format.

“There is no technological or practical obstacle to digital licensing and enforcement,” he said.

“Rather, the problem is the Road Traffic Management Corporation’s refusal to give up the revenue streams that go with analogue document production.”

In addition to generating revenue for the state, Handfield-Jones said there could be other potential vested interests.

He said it was clear that the government is prioritising revenue over interventions that would address the root cause of carnage on South Africa’s roads.

“Before 1998, South African driving licences had no renewal process, and 1998 was the safest year in our history on our roads,” said Handfield-Jones.

“The fatality rate has at least quadrupled since 1998, so there is no evidence that card renewals have been of any benefit.”

He explained that the fatality rate surge since 1998 is primarily attributable to people who have bought their licences through corrupt means. He warned that they lack fundamental driving competence.

“That traces back to the 1996 evisceration of the Instructor’s Test and the implementation of the centralised licence booking system shortly afterwards,” said Handfield-Jones.

“No other factors can explain the abrupt doubling of fatality rates from 1998 to 2006 after they had declined in a straight line from 1985 onwards.”

Licence card printing machines are far cheaper today

According to Koekemoer, the technology used to print South Africa’s driving licence cards hasn’t been widely used for 10 to 15 years.

“The technology of the card itself, that machine produces a card that’s got a paper core and then laminated on both sides. That technology has gone out maybe 10 to 15 years ago,” he said.

“Now you have fully composite cards. You know, plastic-type cards.”

He explained that the technology used is specific to the machine used to print South Africa’s driving licence cards.

“It includes a photographic process and certain security measures that are not even in existence anymore,” said Koekemoer.

He said the only logical way to abandon the current driving licence card scheme is to implement a full technology refresh. “That includes the software,” he added.

While South Africa’s Department of Transport has made progress regarding finding a provider to procure new driving licence printing machines, the process has been halted pending judicial scrutiny.

In August 2024, the department announced that it had chosen Idemia Identity and Security South Africa as the preferred bidder for the contract to procure new machines.

However, a few days later, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy asked the Auditor General of South Africa (AGSA) to widen its audit into the tender process.

The AGSA revealed various irregularities and found that the department failed to follow tender procedures during the adjudication process.

It said Idemia had “failed to meet key bid technical requirements”.

However, despite the irregularities, Idemia told MyBroadband that it had won the tender in a legitimate and lawful manner.

Creecy approached the courts regarding a way forward, as she weighed the option of cancelling or proceeding with the contract.

The minister faced backlash from the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) after she received a legal opinion advising her to proceed with the contract.

According to Outa, allowing the tender to proceed despite the AGSA’s findings would be a major governance failure.

Creecy has since confirmed that she hasn’t withdrawn the application for a declaratory order from the court, for which she is still awaiting the outcome.