Driving licence crisis: DoT aims for interim solution amid machine failures

The Department of Transport (DoT) 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 the statement made by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) following the department's 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 was not a solution to the driving licence crisis because it 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 DoT.

“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 Advocate Stefanie Fick, Outa’s executive director.

Fick said the long-term solution, which is a decade, 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, DoT 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.

According to Outa, this means it would take 40 to 53 days to clear the backlog, excluding the addition of any new card applications.

The Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) has been trying to procure another machine for years, but repeatedly cancelled and reissued the tender.

DoT spokesperson Collion Msibi said the department is working on finding an interim solution in order to address the issue of reliance on the current machine. Msibi added 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 DoT’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.