Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy has said that she prefers a move from a five-year to an eight-year validity period for South African driver’s licence cards.
However, it is not yet confirmed that this change will become a reality.
Speaking with Moneyweb, Creecy said that she has not made a decision yet because of the uncertain financial implications of such a move.
“When I asked what are the financial implications, it was not clear so I asked for a study to be done so that I take a decision understanding the consequences – intended and unintended – of my decision,” said Creecy.
According to Creecy, this report is expected to be completed by the end of the second quarter of the Department of Transport’s financial year – or in late September 2025.
This is confusing, however, as the Department of Transport’s annual performance plan for the 2025/26 period already includes a process attempting to extend the validity period to eight years.
This plan articulated the timeline for this project, which includes:
- Q1: Consulting with the executive committee, committee of transport officials, and MECs.
- Q2: Public consultation period.
- Q3: Consulting the department’s stakeholders’ committee.
- Q4: If all previous processes go according to plan, the proposal will be submitted to Parliament.
It is unclear why the Department of Transport has already formulated this plan if it is still awaiting the financial viability report.
Not a new idea
External parties – such as OUTA – have long been suggesting to the Department of Transport that it should extend the driving licence validity period in South Africa.
“We’ve been saying to Barbara Creecy for some time, and the previous ministers: start by extending the validity period of the driver’s licences from five to ten years,” OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage said in a previous interview.
“It’s a norm around the world, and that takes a lot of pressure off the department straight away.”
This mention of “pressure” was in reference to the huge driving licence card production backlog that has been a constant thorn in South Africa’s side.
According to Department of Transport spokesperson, Collen Msibi, the backlog of driving licence cards was approximately 690,000 cards as of June 2025.
This was down by approximately 43,000 cards since the previous month – or in simpler terms, the backlog had been cleared by just under 2,400 cards per day.
At this rate, it would take over a year to clear the backlog – but Msibi claimed it would take four to six months to clear.
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