South Africa’s driver’s licence exams are going digital as part of an ongoing effort to crack down on fraudulent tests.
This is according to the Minister of Transport, Barbary Creecy, who recently confirmed that the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) is developing an electronic driving test application that will also allow for the implementation of digital examinations.
Modern solutions
Creecy confirmed the plans while responding to MP Patrick Sindane’s parliamentary questions about how the Department of Transport (DoT) plans to combat fraudulent driving licence cards.
The digitized tests will use geofencing and biometric identification for both the applicants and the examiners, which should help to verify all parties involved with an exam.
The minister announced that the new system will be piloted within this financial year, after which it will be rolled out nationally.
Additionally, the DoT is installing Smart Enrolment Units (SEUs) at all its driving licence testing centres (DLTCs) which will assist in speeding up the application process.
The SEU project aims to modernize the DoT’s driver enrolments by integrating its systems with those of the Department of Home Affairs, which would allow for applicants to be verified in real-time.
Furthermore, the SEUs will be linked with the South African Police Services database so that users can be cleared for professional driving permits.
The DoT also believes that this system could be used to prevent individuals who have illegally entered South Africa from applying for services at DLTCs.
According to Creecy, the RTMC will develop and maintain the new software for the National Administration Traffic Information System (NaTIS), which will manage the licence application process.
It’s important to note that the RTMC is developing upgraded computerized learner’s licence tests (CCLTs) as well, which have already been rolled out in seven provinces.
The introduction of CCLTs in the Western Cape is expected to finish by the end of this financial year, though progress is slower in KwaZulu-Natal, where only three CCLTs have been deployed at DLTCs so far.
Problems with driver’s licence cards
While the DoT is making strides towards combating fake licences with its new digital tests, the cards themselves have been the subject of multiple controversies in recent months.
One such matter involves electronic driver’s licences (eDLs), which the government has been promising since 2022 but has still yet to see the light of day.
DoT spokesperson Collen Msibi announced in September that eDLs are still on the agenda, but that the project is currently facing budgetary constraints which create further delays.
eDLs would allow road users to store a copy of their licence on a smartphone, eliminating the need for lengthy turnaround times for physical card printing.
The lengthy process for the eDL introduction has been criticized by Rob Handfield-Jones from Driving.co.za, who claims the RTMC is dragging its feet because physical cards are a money-making scheme.
On that note, South Africa is also supposed to be getting new printers soon to produce cards that are up-to-date with modern security features, but the process has come under fire from civil action groups like the Organization Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa).
The DoT recently declared that it would cost R1 billion to acquire three printers, despite previous claims that the budget was set at R468 million, raising questions as to why the bill has shot up so much.
In addition to the skyrocketing budget, the tender process for the machines appears to have been highly irregular, suggesting that it was manipulated to secure a specific bidder, claims Outa.
In response to these accusations, Minister Creecy has instructed the Auditor-General to expedite and widen the scope of its audit into the licence card tender award, which is likely to delay the arrival of South Africa’s new driver’s licence cards.
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