The process to extend the validity period of South African driving licence cards from five to eight years has taken another step forward.
This is according to the Department of Transport’s annual performance plan for 2026/27, with the department noting it plans to send the policy document to Cabinet for approval by the end of the 2026/27 financial year (March 2027).
Following this, the goal is to have the document approved for submission to Parliament by the end of the 2027/28 period (March 2028).
These new dates and deadlines are encouraging but also highlight how plagued the process has been with delays, given that the change was intended to be implemented years ago.
The department’s short-term and longer-term goals can be seen below:
Short-term goals (2026/27)
- June 2026 – Validity period submitted to the Minister.
- September 2026 – Validity period submitted to the Shareholders’ Committee.
- December 2026 – Validity period submitted to the relevant Forum of South African Directors-General (FOSAD) Clusters.
- March 2027 – Validity period of the driving licence cards extended to 8 years, approved for submission to Cabinet.
The applicable FOSAD clusters are the Economic Sectors, Investment, Employment and Infrastructure Development (ESIEID) and Justice, Crime Prevention, Peace and Security (JCPS) clusters.
Medium-term goals (2026/27-2028/29)
- 2026/27 – Validity period of the driving licence cards extended to 8 years, approved for submission to Cabinet.
- 2027/28 – Validity period of the driving licence cards extended to 8 years, approved for submission to Parliament.
- 2028/29 – None stated.
This process reflects the positive stance of Minister Barbara Creecy toward the change, as she expressed approval to extend the validity period back in November 2025.
The department’s director-general, Mathabatha Mokonyana, also confirmed the move in December 2025.
However, at the time, the department stated that the cost-benefit analysis was still underway, flagging concerns about “unintended consequences of the move”.
This relates to the impact the move would have on government revenue, with the Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) noting that it could impact its financial stability.
“This proposed change forms part of broader efforts within the transport sector to enhance administrative efficiency, reduce the frequency of renewals for motorists, and alleviate service demand pressures within the licensing system,” it said.
“While the policy shift may yield operational benefits at a system-wide level, it is likely to have material implications for the financial sustainability of the organisation.”
It explained that such a change would reduce the volume of card renewals over a given cycle, which would then impact the revenue flows associated with card production and issuance.
Empty promises
The extension of the driving licence card validity period has been a debated issue for several years, with promises to review it going back to former Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula’s time in office.
Mbalula announced in 2022 that the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) would conduct a study on extending the validity of the cards to 10 years.
This study was completed and submitted to Cabinet, but its results were only publicly revealed during the shorter tenure of his successor, Sindisiwe Chikunga.
In 2024, the study results were released and found to support the proposed extension; however, Chikunga’s department completely walked back the plan.
Chikunga’s reasoning for this was also suspect, with arguments tying into health and communicable diseases, and the department arguing that “many” accidents on South African roads relate to infectious and other diseases, making regular eye tests crucial.
These explanations were widely dismissed, with the common consensus being that the proposed extension was walked back for financial motivations.
Leadership at the time never admitted to this, but in 2025, Creecy confirmed that this had been the main reason for the extension running into delays.
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