The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Transport today launched the province’s new number plates with improved security features and a new alphanumeric format.
These changes were prompted by the fact that the identifiers for some towns and regions in the coastal province have run out of numbers.
KZN and the Western Cape are currently the only provinces that use a system with various codes to indicate where a vehicle is registered, with a few notable KZN examples being ND for Durban, NPN for Pinetown, NPS for Port Shepstone, NRB for Richards Bay, and PMB for Pietermaritzburg.
Instead of using this discrete numbering system, the new number plates will have a continuous numbering system similar to Gauteng with a “ZN” suffix.
“The new numbering system will come with improved security features, which will assist in the fight against crime,” said KZN Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube.
“This paradigm shift is important in ensuring that the province aligns with other provinces and the national numbering system.”
Gauteng has used the “AA 11 BB GP” format since late 2010 and it only expects the number of possible combinations to be exhausted by 2038, alluding that KZN will have approximately 28 years before it will have to revise its number plates once again, keeping in mind that the province has fewer vehicles on its roads than Gauteng.
Phased rollout
The implementation of the new ZN number plates will take place in two phases, said Premier Dube-Ncube.
Starting 1 December 2023, the first phase will comprise the registration of new vehicles, change of ownership, and re-registration of stolen and recovered vehicles.
The second phase will commence on 1 March 2024 with the voluntary migration of all vehicle owners from the current to the new system.
“Vehicle owners will be given 24 months to migrate to the new system, thereafter motor vehicles will automatically be issued with a new format licence number, upon the licencing of their vehicles,” said the premier.
The provincial DoT has tested its eNatis (Electronic National Administration Traffic Information) system in preparation for the new plates and has confirmed that the system is now able to activate the new numbering system, which has been approved by the Road Traffic Management Corporation.
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