Bad news for South Africans who must renew their driving licence

South Africa’s only driving licence card printer has broken down again, causing long delays in citizens’ applications for new driving licence cards.

South Africa’s current driver’s licence card printing machine is 26 years old and has experienced 159 breakdowns.

There is no backup printing machine, which means a breakdown can significantly delay motorists from getting their new licence cards.

In March 2025, the City Press cited Department of Transport sources that no cards have been printed since January.

They explained that the printing machine breaks down frequently, resulting in a growing backlog of driver’s licences waiting to be printed.

In April 2025, Alderman JP Smith, the City of Cape Town MMC for safety and security, said the situation has reached critical levels.

He explained that the city’s Driving Licence Testing Centres (DLTCs) received nearly 60,000 driver’s licence card applications in 2025, but not one has been issued.

“To date, not a single one has been received for those applications from the Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) in Pretoria,” Smith said in a statement.

Smith was dismayed at the ongoing delays in issuing new driving licences, adding that the city understands that the printing machine has broken down again.

He explained that South Africa experienced the same issue at the start of 2022, and the fact that nothing has changed three years later is an absolute indictment of those responsible.

The City of Cape Town called on the National Transport Minister to act with haste and address this issue once and for all.

“It is unacceptable that motorists have to bear the brunt for these inadequacies, but also our Traffic Services staff who are at the coalface,” Smith said.

Despite the seriousness of the situation, the government, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), and the DLCA have not released official statements.

However, the Department of Transport (DoT) confirmed that the country’s only driving licence card printer has been broken down since February 2025.

DoT spokesperson Collen Msibi said the DLCA is liaising with the sole supplier in France to repair malfunctioning equipment, which can take several weeks.

“The Department is exploring various interim solutions to sustain the operations of the current machine, given its age,” Msibi said.

Problems with new driving licence cards and printing machines

South Africa is moving to new smart driving licence cards with enhanced security features to combat fraud and counterfeiting.

Another benefit is that the new driving licence cards would be produced at a faster rate, cutting down on motorists’ waiting times to renew their licences.

The Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA), a Department of Transport entity, had to procure a new machine to produce the new cards.

President Cyril Ramaphosa’s cabinet approved the new driving licence cards and printer plan in August 2022 and issued the relevant tender.

The aim was a three-year phased rollout of the new system from 2023 to 2026. However, this did not happen.

The missed deadlines were blamed on issues surrounding the printing machine tender, which was withdrawn, and a new one was issued in 2023.

Former Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said printing the new driving licence cards would begin in April 2024. Again, this did not happen.

In July 2024, there was encouraging news that IDEMIA Identity was selected and would procure three driving licence card printing machines.

Two machines will be used at the primary driving licence card production site, while one will be reserved for the disaster recovery site.

This meant South Africa would no longer rely on the single printing machine, which was prone to breakdowns and long delays.

Transport Minister Barbara Creecy said the new machines will be maintained and repaired in South Africa, unlike the current machine, which must be shipped overseas for repairs.

On 1 September 2024, the Department of Transport officially announced that it had appointed IDEMIA Identity and Security to produce new smart driving licence cards.

However, this tender was marred with controversy, including the contract price ballooning from the budgeted R468 million to R899 million.

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) alleged tampering with the pricing envelopes in the bids and that at least one bidder was wrongly marked down.

The Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA) found that the Driving License Card Machines tender was irregular, which halted the process.

Creecy instructed the Department to lodge a High Court application for a declaratory order for guidance on how to proceed, given the AGSA audit report.

Meanwhile, the Department is exploring various interim solutions to sustain the operations of the current machine, given its age. The interim measures will be announced in due course.

This means that the new driving licence card machine procurement is in limbo, and South Africans continue to suffer due to regular breakdowns on the current machine.