Smart driving licence rollout, public funding in question as tender probe beckons

Timing for the rollout of South Africa’s new ‘smart’ driving licence cards remains in question, as the tender process faces scrutiny.

Last week Transport Minister Barbara Creecy asked the Auditor-General to investigate the procurement process that led to the controversial R898 million tender awarded to French tech firm IDEMIA.

The new licences will boast improved security features and biometric data, which will make them harder for criminals to replicate, and they will also reportedly be linked to a digital driving licence system.

Approached for comment about the expanded tender investigation and potential delays, the Department of Transport (DOT) told IOL: “The matter is now being dealt with by the Auditor-General at the request of the Minister, and we shall await the audit report.”

Meanwhile IDEMIA has promised full compliance in the wake of the DOT’s decision to extend the scope of the current audit of the new driver's licence card procurement process.

“We have taken note of this decision and will be happy to provide, in complete transparency and with confidence, all the information needed for a thorough and fruitful audit,” the tech firm said in a statement sent to IOL.

“Compliance and transparency are top priorities for IDEMIA, which reaffirms its commitment to systematically align itself with the procedures and regulations of the states in which it operates, as is the case for South Africa.”

The Automobile Association has welcomed the expanded probe into the licence procurement process, which, among other things, will aim to determine whether IDEMIA’s technical capacity and ability to timeously deliver were adequately investigated as well as whether South African-based service providers were considered and whether affordability was taken into account during the process.

“Huge amounts of public funds are at stake, and it is critical that the public has complete trust in the process and its outcomes,” the AA urged.

“The DoT and other government departments have a duty to justify the selection of specific entities, not only in terms of the money being spent, but also in terms of how these entities are better suited than local suppliers to provide products and services,” the association added.

IDEMIA’s appointment as the preferred bidder came less than a week after the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) terminated its contract with IDEMIA for its Automated Border Control system.

This happened after ACSA and IDEMIA were taken to court by local BEE firm InfoVerge, which said it had been pushed aside by the French company after the tender had been secured.