The only driver’s licence card printing machine in South Africa will be out of operation for the next two to three weeks due to a “technical breakdown which requires a replacement of a critical part from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM),” confirmed the Department of Transport (DoT) in a statement on 3 March.
This unforeseen breakdown happened after the machine, which is over 20 years old and the only one of its kind still in operation anywhere in the world, underwent “routine maintenance” from 5 to 19 April 2023, reported MyBroadband.
The DoT assured motorists that “production of driving licence cards will not be affected by the routine maintenance of the card production machine” – maintenance that ended two weeks before its most recent statement that it has broken down again.
The DoT said nothing about whether the unexpected breakages will have an impact on card output, however.
There seems no logical way for it not to have, as there is only one card printer in the country and it’s only anticipated to resume production “within the next 2-3 weeks,” said the department.
When the machine previously broke down in November 2021, it rapidly resulted in a backlog of over half-a-million cards in two months’ time, proving that a three-week outage has the potential to create a backlog of around 200,000 renewals.
The DoT has revealed no plans about how it’s going to avoid it happening this time around.
Old transport minister Fikile Mbalula with the current licence card printing machine. Source: MyBroadband
Not the first time, hopefully the last
In January 2022, the first reports emerged that the only driver’s licence printing machine in South Africa was broken and that it has not produced any cards for over a month.
Initially, the DoT said motorists whose cards were expired and who have not yet received new ones would have to buy a temporary permit to the tune of R90.
Following pressure from the industry and the public at large, the DoT caved and initiated a “grace period” for citizens who fell victim to the backlog through no fault of their own, which lasted until the first week of May.
In the meantime, the machine was repaired and put back into action, though it didn’t last very long as in October, the Eastern Cape’s acting chief director for transport regulations, Xolisa Jakula, confirmed that it was out of operation once more.
In response, the then-transport minister Fikile Mbalula said that it was not broken, but rather that it was affected by “power outage challenges coupled with routine maintenance and the replacement of components.”
New licence card for South Africa
Following these incidents, the national government confirmed in September that it has put in motion plans to produce a new licence card with a more secure design that adheres to international standards.
Naturally, this new card will also require the DoT to purchase a new, hopefully more reliable printing machine. However, it has not yet said whether it will procure more than one.
The new card will be piloted from 1 November 2023 until 31 March 2024, after which “there will be a five-year period of transition from the old card to the new,” said then-transport minister Mbalula.
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