Changes coming for driver’s licence renewals – The major points

Several changes which will affect how driver’s licences are renewed in South Africa are set to be implemented.

This is according to Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula, quoted in a report from BusinessTech.

Mbalula stated that the changes will be aimed at improving the process of renewing a driver’s licence and fixing problems with the current licensing system.

This will include:

• Opening more driving licence testing centres.
• Extending the operating hours of testing centres.
• Enabling online payments to testing centres.
• Allowing eye tests to be submitted directly to Natis.

“As part of the roll-out of a bouquet of services to improve customer experience, processes to introduce online payments are advanced and a banking partner has already been appointed,” said Mbalula.

“While we had agreed with the MECs that operating hours of DLTCs must be extended, a number of provinces have experienced challenges relating to overtime. However, significant progress has been made in this regard.”

Grace period extended

The announcement from Mbalula follows his department extending the grace period for South Africans with expired driver’s licence cards.

All learner licences, driving licence cards, temporary driving licences, and professional driving permits that expired during the period between 26 March 2020 and 31 August 2021 will be valid until 31 March 2022.

South Africans have been plagued with difficulties when renewing their driver’s licence cards this year, with the problem being particularly prevalent in Gauteng.

Residents in Gauteng must use the eNatis online booking system to schedule a renewal appointment – but when logging onto the system, consumers are met with a “0 slots available” notification across all driving licence testing centres in the province.

Several allegations have been made that state individuals and organisations are manipulating the system to book slots, and in May it was revealed that companies with teams of employees are booking up driver’s licence renewal slots and selling them to motorists.