The big lie about South Africa’s 8-year driver’s licence cards

The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has allegedly misled the public about its decision not to extend the validity period of a driver’s licence card in South Africa.

The Organization Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) published a statement on Wednesday, 14 August claiming that the RTMC has deliberately claimed to reject the extension proposal based on a research paper that it does not have.

Citing facts that don’t exist

Outa alleges that the RTMC ignored the research that it conducted in 2022, which concluded with a recommendation to extend the validity period of a South African driver’s licence card from five to eight years.

It then attempted to justify its decision by citing a research paper detailing the risks associated with extended licence cards, but this paper does not exist, said Outa.

The organisation contacted both the RTMC and the Department of Transport (DoT) in July 2024 to request access to the two reports that were used to reach its conclusion on the licence card matter.

Outa demanded the documents using the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), which gives the constitutional right of access to any information held by the state and private bodies that is required for the exercise and protection of any rights.

The first requested paper was for research compiled in May 2022, titled the Driver’s Licence Card Validity Period Review, which concluded that the nation’s driver’s cards should have their expiry date moved from five to eight years.

The second report that Outa requested was for the research that RTMC CEO Makhosini Msibi based his claim on earlier this year regarding why the country would not be getting its extended cards.

Msibi told Moneyweb in May 2024 that South Africa’s cards could not be extended as there are a number of road accidents caused by communicable and other diseases, and that it remains “critical that we maintain [the current licence validity period] until all these issues have been dealt with.”

On 31 July, the RTMC rejected Outa’s request, stating, “the research conducted by the Corporation on the referred to subject herein falls within the ongoing research relating to the viability of extension of the 5-year driver’s license card validity period and access to this research consequently therefore stands to be refused in terms of Section 43(2) of PAIA.”

Section 43(2) allows a refusal of access to information by the public if there are confidentiality concerns, including those relating to the subject of the research.

However, on the same day that the RTMC refused Outa’s request, the DoT told the organization that “we have taken reasonable steps to find a copy of the alleged research and for that reason, it cannot be found thus it does not exist,” while providing an affidavit from a deputy director-general as confirmation.

In other words, the RTMC had research to support an extension of South Africa’s driver’s licence cards, but elected not to and instead cited a non-existent document to the contrary, said Outa.

“It is clear that the RTMC is deliberately misleading the public on its so-called reason not to extend the driving licence card validity period. OUTA now questions the motives of the RTMC, as the ultimate decision to extend the validity period lies with the Minister of Transport, who in turn should not be influenced by an entity with vested financial interests in the decision,” said Stefanie Fick, OUTA’s Executive Director.

“We find the reasons advanced by the RTMC to be ludicrous and lacking in any factual basis.”

Outa stated that it was concerned that the real motive for the decision has to do with the tender to buy a new card printing machine, and the money that can be generated through shorter and more frequent renewals of physical cards.

The tender is managed by a different DoT entity, the Driving Licence Card Account, which has still not managed to procure the new printing machine after months of delays.

Outa has written to the newly appointed Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, to engage with the matter of extending South Africa’s licences and other related issues, but has not yet received a response.

In its statement, Outa also highlighted several key findings from the Driver’s Licence Card Validity Period Review arguing for a longer validity period.

“The average driving licence card validity period of almost 10 years in more developed countries, with much better road safety ratios highly motivates and validates a longer renewal period in line with international best practice'” said the report.

“However, blindly assuming international practice without critically contrasting South Africa’s context with these countries would be potentially damaging to the driving licence system and road safety in the country.”

The study also recommended that further research should be conducted on the possibility of digital driver’s licences, which the government has spoken about on several occasions, but have still not been put into practice.