Bad news for people who renewed their driver’s licence cards between these dates

People who renewed or obtained their driver’s licence cards between 11 January and 31 March 2025 are in for a longer wait than usual.

A notice published at the Centurion Driver’s Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) informed motorists that all licence cards applied for between these dates are “not available due to a delay at the card production facility.”

“[sic] We appologise for any inconveniance [sic],” the notice read.

It confirms earlier reports that suggested the country’s sole licence card printing machine is once again out of order.

In early April, the City of Cape Town revealed that it has processed roughly 60,000 driver’s licence applications this year but has yet to receive a single card from the Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) situated in Pretoria.

“It is our understanding that the machine used in the production of the cards broke down yet again – and since repairs can only happen abroad, it is anyone’s guess as to when the situation will be remedied,” said the metro.

Apart from relying on a 25-year-old printing machine that is prone to failure to fulfill its public mandate, workers at the DLCA have also threatened to go on strike due to their unfavourable employment status.

With the entity clearly having a lot on its plate, Cape Town has advised motorists across the country to keep their old cards handy even if they’re expired.

Additionally, it said motorists should apply for a temporary licence to avoid getting in trouble with law enforcement officers should they be pulled over.

You can drive with an expired licence card for up to three months before being eligible to be fined provided you can show proof that you applied for a new card before your current one expired.

However, if the card had already expired at the time of application for a replacement, you must also apply for a temporary driver’s licence at the same time and keep proof thereof in the vehicle.

A temporary licence is valid for six months, or until the new/replacement driving licence card is issued.

Should you be found without a valid driving licence card, you stand to receive hefty penalties.

In the municipalities of Tshwane and Johannesburg, operating a vehicle on a public road with an expired driving licence can net you a fine of R2,000 and impose three demerit points on your licence, as per the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act.

Repairs underway

Department of Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi confirmed to MyBroadband that the printing machine, which has been out of service for some three months, is in the process of being repaired.

“The Driving Licence Card Account is liaising with the sole supplier in France to repair equipment that has malfunctioned and resulted in the machine breakdown,” Msibi said.

“The Department is exploring various interim solutions to sustain the operations of the current machine, given its age.”

Msibi noted that the repairs could be done in two weeks if everything goes smoothly.

The printer had suffered 159 breakdowns between its introduction in 1998 and June 2024, and has cost the DLCA a staggering R21 million in maintenance and repairs costs in the last five years alone.

A report compiled for the Road Traffic Management Corporation found that the machine should have already been replaced as far back as 2009.