The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) has called for the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, to waive fines and temporary licences for those whose new driving cards are stuck in the ongoing backlog.

This comes as the Department of Transport (DoT) scrambles to clear the driving licence card backlog, which was caused by the breakdown of the sole card-printing machine earlier in April.

Last week, DoT reported a backlog of 690,000, down roughly 43,000 from the 733,000 that was announced a week ago. 

On Tuesday, Outa’s Advocate Stefanie Fick wrote to Creecy and asked her to consider announcing a moratorium on fines related to expired driver’s licence cards for motorists who have already applied for renewals and that no temporary licences should be required until all backlogs have been cleared. 

She also requested the department to consider issuing public communication of this moratorium through all official channels, including the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC),  provincial traffic authorities and traditional and social media.

Fick added that the department must provide clarity to all enforcement officials to prevent unwarranted fines and harassment of motorists.

“Recent reports confirm that the Department of Transport is currently experiencing a backlog of approximately 733,000 to 747,500 unprinted licence cards, with delays attributed to issues with card machines, administrative inefficiencies and high demand,” Fick said, adding that many law-abiding motorists could be issued fines by law enforcement officials for not physically possessing their renewed cards, even when they hold receipts or valid temporary licences proving compliance.

She said this practice would be unfair, adding that the public is being penalised for failures which is not their making but because of a broken system that is currently unable to meet service delivery expectations.

DoT spokesperson Collin Msibi confirmed that the department received the letter and it is currently being processed internally for the Minister’s attention.

Fick said it was important to note that during the Covid-19 pandemic, the DoT recognised the exceptional circumstances and issued blanket extensions on the validity of expired driver’s licences, allowing the public reasonable leeway while the system was caught up. 

She said this temporary relief was an example of fair, compassionate governance in the face of operational disruption. 

“We urge the department to take a similar approach now, especially given that this crisis stems from internal systemic failures rather than a national emergency,” Fick said. 

Creecy recently revealed that the department has spent over R12 million on the repair and maintenance of the printing machine over the past three years. 

The department has been trying to procure another machine for years, but repeatedly cancelled and reissued the tender.

In August last year, the department announced that it had appointed Idemia and Security South Africa as the preferred bidder for a tender to print new driving licence smart cards. 

However, Outa’s investigation uncovered irregularities and handed the report to Creecy, who in turn passed it to the Auditor-General (AG). 

In March, Creecy announced that the AG investigation identified instances of non-compliance with the required procurement procedures, and added that she instructed her department to lodge a High Court application for a declaratory order regarding the tender.

Fick said Outa is still waiting for clarity on the contract process.

manyane.manyane@inl.co.za

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