Home South African A driving licence delivered to your door? This will soon be possible,...

A driving licence delivered to your door? This will soon be possible, minister says

519
Your driving licence card could soon be delivered to your door, at a price. File picture.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says motorists can look forward to a new drivers licence card system, online payment and even delivery to your door, at a price.

IT’S NO secret that many South Africans are struggling to renew their driver’s licences at the moment, and there is currently a backlog of almost 400,000 licence cards thanks to a defective printing machine.

However, the Department of Transport is confident that the current problems will be resolved through a new card system that is set to be introduced.

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula announced this at a briefing on Wednesday, along with plans to introduce online payment for not only driving licence card renewals but also vehicle licenses as well as learner and driving licence tests.

“You can also pay an added fee to get your driving licence card delivered at your doorstep,” said a statement from the Road Traffic Management Corporation posted on Twitter by Mbalula.

It appears that drivers will at some point be able to complete the entire renewal process online. “The interface of live enrolment units with home affairs has been completed. This will enable immediate validation of the fingerprints and address,” Mbalula said. “We are working with HPCSA to enable Optometrist to upload eye tests on our systems.”

The minister also said his department was in the process of introducing a new licence card, which will be produced with new and completely modern equipment. He added that the proposal would be submitted for approval at the first cabinet sitting of the year.

Mbalula said that the old machine broke down in November last year and is currently being repaired in Germany. He said that no other country in the world is still using that ‘old’ machine, which is why government is introducing the new card and machine that is on par with the developed world. The minister admitted that the system should have been changed long ago.

Although he did not elaborate on the exact timeline for the new card system, or where this leaves motorists who currently have expired licences, Mbalula said that interim measures would be announced.

IOL Motoring

Previous articleHuge blast goes off in Somali capital, at least eight dead
Next articleChina suspends more US flights after Covid cases surge, further cutting access