Latest news with #R898
The South African
5 days ago
- Automotive
- The South African
Government must suspend driver's licence fines in 2025
No driver's licence fines should be issued until the Department of Transport (DTC) gets its affairs in order and the printing backlog is overcome. This is the assertion of the Organisation for Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) amidst uncertainty over the delay. Previously, following yet another card-printing breakdown, the DTC said the backlog would take four months to clear. In May, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy confirmed that around 733 000 driver's licences sat in the queue. Nearly half of the 1.3-million backlog peak in 2022/2023. Although the DTC usually advises 14 days to process a licence application, this has risen to six weeks since the printer breakdown. To avoid driver's licence fines, authorities advise holding onto your expired license card, along with proof of a new application. The new card account and printing tender has stalled under Minister Creecy. Image: File Furthermore, the DTC said 269 000 back-logged cards had already been cleared. However, those numbers don't add up. At the current printing rate of 2 400 cards per day, it will take more than one year to clear the backlog, reports BusinessTech . As such, the Organisation for Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) is calling on Minister Creecy to suspend driver's licence fines. The non-profit initiative says government should waive fines and temporary licence process for those who have cards stuck in the system through no fault of their doing. OUTA believes it's unfair to fine motorists who are waiting for their card renewals. Likewise, in light of on-going printer breakdowns, OUTA argues the validity of all licence cards should be extended to 10 years. The civil action organisation has been highly involved in the license printing debacle. It was OUTA's independent investigation last year that uncovered significant irregularities in the tender procurement process. Driver's licence backlogs peaked in 2022/23 at more than 1.3 million. Image: Gallo/Jacques Stander In turn, the Transport Minister passed OUTA's report onto the Auditor-General of South Africa (AGSA). AGSA noted that while a new printing machine cost R486 million, a tender worth R898 million was irregularly awarded. Many believe this near doubling of cost was to facilitate new digital Driver's Licence Card Accounts (DLCAs). French company, Idemia, raised plenty of eyebrows when it won the massive tender. The firm is considered a leader in biometrics and smart technology and has associations with government all around the globe. There is still no clarity from the department on whether a new tender will be awarded. Or if driver's licence fines will be suspended in the meantime. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
12-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Department of Transport seeks interim fix for licence card backlog
The Department of Transport says it is trying to find an interim solution to address the issue of reliance on the current driving licence card machine. The Department of Transport is on a mission to find an interim solution to address the issue of reliance on the current driving licence card machine. The department was responding to a statement by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) following the announcement that the machine had been repaired and operations resumed. The breakdown of the machine, according to the department, led to a backlog of more than 700 000 outstanding cards waiting to be printed. Outa said the machine is prone to regular breakdowns and is bound to break down again. The organisation said the machine also lacks modern security features. Outa said it is still waiting for the department to provide a solution to this problem. This was the 160th time the printer had broken down, based on a recent statement from the department. 'It is a relief to hear that the machine has been repaired, but the question is how soon it will break down again. This old card machine is prone to regular breakdowns and is bound to break down again. It is also seriously lacking in modern security features,' said Stefanie Fick, Outa's executive director. Fick said the long-term solution is the finalisation of the new driving licence card solution, adding that this should be done either through a tender awarded to a private company or through the government printing works, which manages the printing of the ID cards for the Department of Home Affairs. 'We want a new machine procured, and we want the validity of the cards extended to 10 years.' In its announcement on Thursday, the department said there was a backlog of 747 748 cards waiting to be printed, with a maximum production capacity of 14 000 to 19 000 cards in a 14-hour shift. The Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) has been trying to procure another machine for years, but repeatedly cancelled and reissued the tender. Department of Transport spokesperson, Collion Msibi, said they are working on finding an interim solution in order to address the issue of reliance on the current machine. Msibi added an interim solution would be a better solution while the department awaits the court decision on the declaratory order on the tender process. In August last year, the DLCA awarded the tender for the new machine to Idemia and Security South Africa for R898 597 131. In March 2025, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy announced that she had instructed her department to lodge a declaratory order regarding the tender. Her decision was influenced by the findings from the Auditor-General (AG) report, which identified instances of non-compliance with the required procurement process. However, Outa said it appeared that the court application did not go ahead. The organisation said its chief executive officer, Wayne Duvenage wrote to the Minister and asked for an update on the situation on March 27. However, no reply has been received yet. In the letter, Duvenage said Outa had heard that the department's legal department and Director-General had warned Creecy against cancelling the Idemia contract. Duvenage said the AG report was clear in its flagging of several irregularities and recommended that the awarding of the tender be cancelled. The organisation said the DLCA does not appear to have issued a new tender for the machine, instead the entity issued a tender looking at how to make more money out of the driving licence cards. Cape Argus
