The Gauteng MEC for roads and transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, has announced that a prototype number plate recognition system for the province’s new number plates has been developed and will soon start being piloted by government, paving the way for the full rollout of the new plates to private cars.
“We are pleased to announce that a prototype number plate recognition system has been successfully completed and is now ready for pilot through our fleet management entity: g-Fleet Management,” said Diale-Tlabela during her annual tabling of the provincial budget for roads and transport.
The pilot project will be launched within the next six months and include the creation of a portal integrating g-Fleet Management vehicle data, linkage with the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS), system testing, deployment to selected embossers and blankers, and a comprehensive confirmation of system functionality.
Upon the satisfactory completion of the trial run, the provincial department will roll out the new vehicle identifiers to the rest of the province.
“Wide-ranging consultations with all stakeholders are underway to ensure the rollout is implemented in a just and fair manner accommodating interested parties, including vehicle owners,” said the MEC.
“To ensure seamless implementation, manufacturers and retailers involved in the number plate value chain are required to register with the Department to comply with existing regulations.”
What you need to know
As a refresher, the Gauteng province first floated the idea of new number plates back in July 2023 with the goal of fighting the fraudulent duplication of these devices.
Approximately 80% of criminal acts in Gauteng involve a vehicle that is usually fitted with falsified number plates, according to the province authorities’ statistics.
The “tamper-proof” plates are therefore designed to “prevent cloning, enhance safety, and establish accountability from manufacturers and retailers in the value chain,” said Diale-Tlabela.
Thus far, the Gauteng Department of Transport has revealed that the new licensing system will have a cloud-based database of plate numbers and will be fitted with a QR code linked to the vehicle owner for easy identification.
This way the provincial government will be able to account for every vehicle registered in the province, it said.
The alphanumeric combination of the new plates has yet to be revealed, however, in September 2023 the provincial transport entity told TopAuto that “the current series (AA 11 AA GP) is not expected to change until it is exhausted. It is estimated the series will last until around 2038.”
Once the rollout starts, it is expected that every motorist in the Gauteng province will be required to register for a new number plate when they renew their vehicle licence disc.
“We are starting afresh, all of us; every person that has a car must re-register and get a new registration number that cannot be copied and is reliable so that we know what is happening in our province,” said Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi in February 2024.
“Everyone must register their vehicle … If you spend 30 consecutive days in Gauteng, it means your car must be registered in Gauteng.”
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