South Africa’s richest province goes quiet on new number plates

In June 2025, the Gauteng Provincial Government announced an all-new number plate system that was meant to be launched at the start of this year, which has since come and gone.

The province’s Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, did briefly touch on the subject during his State of the Province Address (Sopa) earlier this week.

While discussing the annual crime statistics, the premier noted his concern that 21 of the top 30 police stations with the highest reported carjackings are found in Gauteng.

“This confirms why the new number plate system launched by the provincial government must be executed with speed to assist us.”

“We also need technology that will work with law enforcement agencies so that we can stop cars crossing the borders of our province,” he added before moving on from the topic entirely.

The province’s new number plates were said to be high-tech, traceable, tamper-proof, and meant to feature forensic QR codes.

Combined, these factors were developed to combat vehicle theft, fraud, and cloning.

According to Lesufi, fraudulent number plates and undocumented cars are at the centre of crimes committed in Gauteng, especially kidnappings and robberies.

“Criminals use undocumented cars to commit crimes. We are now ready to launch tamper-proof new number plates,” he said during his Sopa address last year.

By the time he’d announced the province was ready to launch, it had already been years in the making.

Initial plans to introduce these smarter number plates were announced in 2023 for launch the same year, but were delayed until April 2024.

This date also passed, and by November 2024, the Gauteng Department of Transport exempted provincial government vehicles from complying with the provisions of the existing number plate policies.

That announcement would allow government vehicles to be fitted with the new plates for a limited pilot phase, which was meant to end in March last year and allow the full roll-out to the public.

Our sister publication MyBroadband contacted the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport to inquire about the new plates, but has not received a response by the time of publication.

Still no new plates

At the moment, Gauteng’s provincial government vehicles are still fitted with the pilot number plates, while word on the rollout to the public has gone quiet.

This is despite the Premier announcing that the pilot programme would only run for six months before the provincial rollout.

With the delayed pilot still underway, questions surrounding the costs associated with these new number plates remain unanswered.

In August last year, AfriForum asked the department what these new number plates would cost the province’s motorists.

In its response, the department noted that it would only know the full cost by the end of the pilot, whenever that may be.

The department noted that the cost of number plates comes down to manufacturing inputs, base material costs and the cost of new technology.

Additional costs for the smarter plates stem from the embossers who do the imprinting, as well as fees imposed by the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS).

“The pilot process will give a better understanding of the cost implications in relation to the new number plate cost to the end user,” added the department.

During the launch, however, Gauteng MEC for transport Kedibone Diale-Tlabela noted that the benefits of the new number plate system far outweighed the potential cost incurred on motorists.

“This is a great idea, please get your new number plates. Don’t ask me about the price, just go and do it,” she said.

Premier Lesufi said that Gauteng is fighting “fire with fire”, adding that the launch demonstrates a way for the province to win its fight against lawlessness to restore order.