Although it was not their fault, people who cannot produce their physical driver’s licences are fined due to the printing backlog.
Civil action organisation Outa has called on the minister of transport to pause fines for people who cannot show their driver’s licences due to the backlog when the printer broke down for the second time.
Outa has asked Minister Barbara Creecy to waive fines and temporary licences for people waiting for new driving licence cards that are stuck in the backlog.
The Department of Transport reported a backlog of 690 000 driving licence cards last week due to the breakdown earlier this year of the sole card-printing machine.
Advocate Stefanie Fick, executive director for the accountability division at Outa, wrote to Creecy last week, asking her to consider extending the validity period for all drivers licence cards to 10 years while the card backlog exists:
- Place a moratorium on fines related to expired driver’s licence cards for motorists who already applied for renewals and that no temporary licences are required until all backlogs are cleared.
- Public communication of this moratorium through all official channels, including RTMC platforms, provincial traffic authorities and traditional and social media and
- Providing clarity to all enforcement officials to prevent unwarranted fines and harassment of motorists.
Fick says fining motorists who are still waiting for their renewed cards is unfair.
ALSO READ: Why has the questionable driving licence card tender not been overturned?
Driver’s licence card machine tender suspended after Outa pointed out irregularities
Outa’s investigation last year uncovered huge irregularities in the process for buying a new driving licence card machine. The tender was awarded in August, and in September, Outa handed its investigation report to the minister, who in turn passed this on to the Auditor-General of South Africa.
In March this year, the minister announced that the AGSA’s investigation confirmed irregularities and said she would go to court to overturn the tender award. “We are still waiting for clarity on the contract process,” Fick says.
In her letter to Creecy, Fick expresses Outa’s “deep concern about the growing frustration faced by motorists who may face unfair treatment or may even be penalised for expired driver’s licence cards, despite having followed due process”.
Fick writes that while the department works through the backlog, law enforcement officials may fine many law-abiding motorists for not being able to physically show their renewed cards even when they hold receipts or valid temporary licences proving compliance.
ALSO READ: Outa: Public misled about driving licence card validity
Public penalised for failures not of their own making regarding driver’s licences
“The public is penalised for failures not of their own making but due to a broken system that is currently unable to meet service delivery expectations. It is important to note that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the department recognised the exceptional circumstances and issued blanket extensions on the validity of expired driver’s licences, allowing the public reasonable leeway while the system caught up.
“This temporary relief was an example of fair, compassionate governance in the face of operational disruption. We urge the department to take a similar approach now, especially given that this crisis stems from internal systemic failures rather than a national emergency.”
Fick also emphasises the urgency of extending the validity of driver’s licences from 5 years to 10 years, a change that would reduce administrative pressure on the system, save costs and align South Africa with global best practice.
