Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has confirmed that the province will launch new number plates on 1 April 2024, but that each motorist who applies for a new car licence disc will also be forced to get a new registration number.
The new “tamper-proof” plates feature stricter security measures than those that are currently in circulation in an effort to reduce crime in the province.
Approximately 80% of criminal acts in Gauteng involve a vehicle that is usually fitted with falsified number plates, according to the Gauteng Department of Transport’s (GDoT) statistics.
“We are starting afresh, all of us; every person that has a car must re-register and get a new registration number that cannot be copied and is reliable so that we know what is happening in our province,” said the premier.
Therefore, from 1 April onwards, every person who renews their car licence disc in Gauteng will also be obligated to apply for a new number plate.
“Everyone must register their vehicle … If you spend 30 consecutive days in Gauteng, it means your car must be registered in Gauteng,” said Lesufi.
A prototype of the new plates was supposed to be unveiled in December 2023, but the premier has now said that it will be shown to the public on Monday, 19 February.
AI-powered number plates
Thus far there has been little information about the new number plates divulged to the public.
In October last year, the GDoT said that the new licensing system will have a cloud-based database of licence plate numbers and “artificial intelligence” built into the identifiers themselves.
More recently, Lesufi revealed that the plates will be fitted with a QR code linked to the vehicle owner for easy identification, BusinessTech reports.
“Through the plan, the provincial government will be enabled to account for every vehicle registered in the province. This, it is expected, will bolster crime-fighting efforts, enhance tracking by law-enforcement agencies, and serve as a deterrent,” said the GDoT.
“It is also expected to drastically enhance revenue collection that was lost due to ineffective vehicle identification in traffic fine enforcement.”
Despite these enhanced security measures, the GDoT said that Gauteng’s new number plates will retain the current alphanumeric format.
“The current series (AA 11 AA GP) is not expected to change until it is exhausted. It is estimated the series will last until around 2038,” the department told TopAuto in September last year.
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