R150 million for South Africa’s digital driver’s licence cards

The National Treasury is pledging another R150 million to the development of the MyMzansi app, which will host South Africa’s digital driving licence cards once they have been approved.

This was revealed by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana during the tabling of the 2026 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement.

He explained that the funding was allocated to the digital services unit to lead the development of the MyMzansi app.

“In this adjusted budget, R150 million is allocated towards enhancing the technical capabilities of the digital services unit to lead the development of the MyMzansi app, which will allow citizens to access government services through a single digital platform,” the Minister said.

This follows President Cyril Ramaphosa announcing South Africa’s plans to digitise ID cards, driving licences, matric certificates, and Master’s Office services during the 2026 State of the Nation Address.

The President said the Department of Home Affairs (DHA) would launch the country’s digital ID before the end of the year.

In May 2026, Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber gazetted the draft digital identity regulations for public comment, giving citizens until 5 June 2026 to comment on the policy.

These regulations will form the legal framework for the MyMzansi platform, which will support the secure storage of digital IDs, driving licences, and other official civic records.

They outline administrative guardrails for digital credentials under the existing Identification Act of 1998, rather than changing existing laws.

Because these regulations are not primary laws, they will likely not require Parliament’s approval or Presidential assent.

South Africa already has a working prototype, showcased by Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies Solly Malatsi at the Global DPI Summit, meaning it could be implemented fairly quickly.

Handling the full renewal process and hosting a digital licence

Once introduced, the MyMzansi licensing services will include every step of the application and renewal process, as well as act as official identification and proof of licence.

During Malatsi’s presentation, which included a live demo of the MyMzansi working prototype, he explained that the system will be a one-stop, zero-rated platform for government services.

“We showed how a driver’s licence renewal can be completed in minutes: credentials verified, details updated, steps processed, and a digital licence displayed — all connected to existing national systems,” he declared.

On-app renewals will be handled through the app’s digital wallet, which takes users directly to their digital driver’s licence card, with all credentials, including names, the card number, and outstanding traffic fines.

Users will select the “Renew” option, which takes them to a form where they enter their ID number, names, and contact information, similar to a physical renewal.

The system also requires users to digitally sign the form and take a photo of themselves to complete the verification process.

After this is done, the MyMzansi system handles payments securely using debit and credit cards like Visa, Mastercard, and American Express, and, according to the Minister’s demonstration, Apple Pay.

Once a payment has been made successfully, the MyMzansi app will flash a message that reads “Success. Payment completed successfully. Your digital card has been added to your wallet.”

This removes the six- to eight-week waiting period motorists are required to wait for physical licence cards.

Once added to the MyMzansi app’s wallet, the digital driver’s licence includes a QR code that traffic officers can scan to check whether the licence is legitimate.

“Indeed, it works, and the South African legend of being asked for a cold drink on the spot will not prevail in this regard because it will be digitally verified that your licence is in compliance,” said the Minister.

He added that the MyMzansi app will integrate with the Department of Transport and NaTIS to verify drivers’ licences, and include all outstanding traffic fines on a single system.