Licence Renewal: OUTA bags victory for ten-year driving licence approval

-
RANDBURG - Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse  (OUTA) has noted Cabinet’s long-overdue approval of ten-year driving licence cards for light motor vehicles. 

The decision follows years of calls for reform from OUTA and other civil society organisations. 

“This decision is almost six years overdue, but it is a victory for motorists and for common sense. Government has finally accepted that forcing motorists through an inefficient renewal system every five years wastes time and money without making our roads safer,” says OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage.

The ten-year validity period will apply to driving licence codes A, A1, B and EB. Heavy commercial and public transport vehicle licences will remain subject to the existing two- or five-year renewal periods, while professional driving permits will continue to be renewed every two years.

OUTA first called for the validity period to be extended in September 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions severely disrupted licensing services and contributed to a growing backlog of expired driving licence cards. Although the pandemic brought the crisis into sharp focus, our work showed that the five-year renewal cycle placed unnecessary pressure on a system already struggling with inefficiency, corruption and poor service delivery.

OUTA researched driving licence validity periods in 35 countries across six regions and found an average validity period of 8.5 years, with periods ranging from three to 20 years.

In June 2021, we also surveyed 3 685 motorists about their experiences with the renewal system: 65% reported frustration with the ineffective online booking system, 60% complained about long queues, about 45% referred to poor staff attitudes and more than 10% said they had witnessed bribery.

On 10 March 2022, OUTA met with then Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and presented our research and detailed motivation for extending the validity period to ten years. We continued supporting the reform as renewal backlogs, card-printing failures and other inefficiencies persisted.


“Government took far too long to act, despite having the evidence and the power to address this unnecessary administrative burden. We are nevertheless pleased that it has arrived at the right decision,” says Duvenage.

OUTA’s international research found no evidence that longer validity periods for ordinary driving licence cards are associated with higher road-fatality rates. Road safety depends on effective law enforcement, properly trained and responsible drivers, roadworthy vehicles and safer roads—not how frequently an administrative card is renewed.



However, Cabinet’s approval does not mean that the ten-year validity period takes effect immediately. Amendments to the legal prescripts must first be published, and motorists must continue renewing expiring driving licence cards under the existing rules until the change officially comes into force.

The Department of Transport should now answer two important questions for motorists: when will the ten-year period take effect, and will it apply only to cards issued from that date or also to cards already in circulation?


OUTA calls on the Department to complete the required amendments without unnecessary delay, publish a clear implementation timetable and explain the transitional arrangements. This clarity is essential to prevent confusion and ensure that motorists do not mistakenly allow their current cards to expire.

Comments

Post a Comment

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

WOMAN KILLED AFTER ROCK THROWN FROM BRIDGE ONTO R24 NEAR BEDFORDVIEW

-
Image
BEDFORDVIEW - A woman was killed on Friday morning after a large rock was allegedly thrown from the Concord Road Bridge onto the R24 freeway near Bedfordview, east of Johannesburg. The rock smashed through the windscreen of her vehicle on the eastbound carriageway, shortly before the Gillooly’s Interchange, at approximately 07:38. The impact caused fatal head injuries. The driver subsequently lost control of the vehicle, which crashed into the roadside barriers. She was declared dead at the scene. Ekurhuleni Metro Police confirmed that an inquest docket has been opened at Bedfordview SAPS. Authorities are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident or may have information that could assist the investigation to come forward.
Read more

HUSBAND TO APPEAR IN COURT FOR RAPE OF HIS WIFE

-
Image
FREE STATE - A 50-year-old suspect, who is the husband of the victim, will appear in Zastron magistrate court soon on a charge of rape. This is after the incident that happened at their home in Refeng-kgotso in Zastron.   The 54-year-old victim alleges that on Friday, 14 August 2026, at 02:00, she was at home busy with her clients as she is a Sangoma. Her husband came to her and demanded to be intimate with her. The victim refused as she was busy working. The suspect grabbed her and forcefully took her to the room. He undressed both of them and violated her without consent. After he finished, he got into bed and went to sleep. During the morning of Friday, 18 August 2026, at 07:00, the victim decided to report the incident. A case of rape was opened and is being investigated by the Smitfield Family Violence Child Protection and Sexual Offenses Unit.
Read more

Parliament approves extension of driving license card validity

-
Image
CAPE TOWN - Parliament has approved the extension of driving license card validity in South Africa, which will increase the time between renewals from 5 to 10 years. Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni confirmed the approval in a post-Cabinet briefing on 30 July. Cabinet approved the extension of the validity period for license codes A, A1, B and EB, Ntshavheni said. However, this will only apply to light motor vehicles. Heavy, commercial and transport vehicles will adhere to the current renewal cycles of between two and five years, and professional licenses will remain on the two-year cycle.
Read more

NEW EVIDENCE EMERGES IN SARDINE MORTALITY INVESTIGATION

-
Image
OVERBERG - Following the previous media statements issued by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (the Department) we can confirm that laboratory sequencing has confirmed that pilchard herpesvirus (PHV) genetic material is present in sampled sardines. Its role in the recent sardine mortality remains under investigation. PHV was detected in both dead sardines and, at lower levels, in some apparently healthy sardine collected from the West Coast. This suggests that the presence of the virus alone may not be sufficient to cause mass mortality.    Scientists are therefore also investigating whether an environmental stressor, such as harmful algae, low oxygen or unusual oceanographic conditions, may have triggered or intensified the event. This remains a hypothesis requiring further evidence. Tests for toxins in sardines collected off Saldanha Bay, the Cape Canyon and Gansbaai, together with an apparently healthy comparison sample from St Helena Bay...
Read more