South Africa has taken another step towards extending the five-year validity period of driving licence cards to eight years, with the development of a digital permit to complement the physical documentation underway.
Mathabatha Mokonyama, acting Director-General of the Department of Transport, noted in December that the country was “definitely” shifting over to an eight-year driving licence card.
Additionally, a small team in the Presidency developed a functional prototype of an online licence renewal system and digital driving permit in three months.
A prototype of this system was demonstrated in November at the Global Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) Summit by Communications Minister Solly Malatsi.
Malatsi conducted the demonstration live from a smartphone during his keynote address at the Summit, outlining what the new renewal process would look like.
This demo was also a part of a larger prototype of the MyMzansi platform, an initiative that was announced in September and which forms a part of South Africa’s Digital Transformation Roadmap.
Malatsi noted that it took multiple government departments and teams to deliver the prototype.
“When government operates as one unified team, we unlock outcomes that no single entity could achieve alone,” he said.
He also stated that the MyMzansi platform was intended to form the core of the government’s digital transformation plan.
“The essence of that is the establishment of a single digital identity for all South Africans through the MyMzansi app, which will give you a digital identity and a centralised system to access government services,” he said.
Additionally, Malatsi noted that the platform would be zero-rated, ensuring South Africans can access it even if they don’t have mobile data.
Eight-year driver’s licence card
Mokonyama, while speaking to the Parliamentary Select Committee on Public Infrastructure in early December, noted that the move to an eight-year driver’s licence card would happen “soon”.
“We have just concluded, although it took a little bit of time, the issue around extending the validity period of the driver’s licence card from five to eight years,” said Mokonyama.
“Our analysis and assessment is that South Africans do favour a longer period. They don’t want to come back to us every five years. So we definitely will be moving to eight years soon.”
However, concerns over the financial impact of such have been raised with Transport Minister Barbara Creecy instructing her department to investigate the matter.
“What I asked is: can we understand the financial implications if we make this decision?” said Creecy.
“I’m not saying that one would make this decision if there were significant financial implications, and I don’t think it’s wise to make a decision in an executive office if you don’t understand the consequences.”
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