The Driving Licence Card Account Entity (DLCA) plans to install 900 Smart Enrollment Units (SEU) across South Africa’s driver’s licence testing centres (DLTC) over the next three months, following the deployment of 300 SEUs in the last quarter of 2023.
This will bring the total number to 1,200 SEUs spread over 427 DLTCs by the end of the 2023 financial year, said transport minister Sindisiwe Chikunga in response to a parliamentary QnA.
These SEUs will serve to significantly cut down the turnaround time for driver’s licence applications and renewals in the country, she said.
Additionally, the DLCA is in the process of procuring a new licence card printer that will slash production time by over 64%.
Smart DLTCs
First launched on a pilot basis at the Waterfall Park and Ecopark locations 16 months ago, the SEUs assist with the electronic capturing of details during the booking and ensure that the photos, fingerprints, and other information are checked and captured in real-time thanks to integration with Home Affairs.
This reduces the need for citizens to stand in long queues hoping to be served before the DLTC closes, but not being guaranteed thereof, and lowers the reliance on enrolment equipment.
Since their introduction, over 108,000 renewals have been successfully processed by SEUs and they have proved vital in reducing time spent at DLTCs for citizens.
Usually, an applicant will take approximately 30 minutes to apply for a new licence card, but the SEUs have managed to cut this down to a “maximum of 20 minutes,” said Chikunga.
In addition, the SEUs work on a real-time basis and immediately send an individual’s data to the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS) when they complete an application – as opposed to the old method that took hours and even days to transmit information between the two points.
This further helps in reducing overall waiting times for a new licence, said the minister.
Finally, Chikunga noted that the country’s new licence card printing machine will be able to produce a card nine days quicker than the current printer, a benefit that can be passed on to motorists.
The tender for the new printer was planned to be finalised before the end of 2023, but no entity has been awarded the contract thus far.
“Delays in concluding this evaluation process have been occasioned mainly by the complex nature of this bid itself, coupled with the fact that the evaluation criteria also included a compulsory site inspection process as part of due diligence,” said the minister.
At present, South Africa is the only country in the world that still relies on a single 25-year-old machine which takes an average of 14 working days to produce one card and is highly prone to breakdowns.
With the new printer, that is still to be procured, the DLCA will be able to produce a card within five working days, said Chikunga.
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