How to renew your driver’s license
Over the past few weeks, motorists have taken to social media to express their frustration and confusion with the renewal process of vehicle and drivers' licences.
Many claim they have been unable to make any appointments online, as there are currently no slots available due to the severe backlog in Gauteng. Remember, if your vehicle, driver’s or learner licence expired any time from 26 March to 1 June, you would have had 90 days to renew your licence at a testing centre.
It is however, important to note not all testing centres have reopened on June 10 and the few which did (including Nigel and Heidelberg) are not at full capacity yet. The best advise would be to call the facility you are planning to visit, before venturing out and standing in long queues. Another alternative is to try and renew your vehicle licence (not drivers’ license) at a South African Post Office.
It is also important to provide proof of payment and receipts if you have in fact renewed your driver’s licence before lockdown, but were unable to collect same due to the closure of centres during lockdown.
“For vehicle licences that expired at the end of June, the normal 21 days grace period applies. My advice is that people should renew vehicle licence discs at the South African Post Office,” Howard Dembovsky from Justice Project SA explained.
* What to do if you are fined for a vehicle or driver’s licence that expired during lockdown:
Dembovsky said that law enforcement authorities will have a hard time convincing the courts to convict people whose licenses expired a few weeks prior to the hard lockdown, particularly in the case of driving licence cards.
“In my view, anyone who is fined should make representations to the public prosecutor where the Criminal Procedure Act applies and the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) where the AARTO Act applies,” he concluded.
Meanwhile, Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) said it supports the call of the Automobile Association of South Africa (AA) for Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to extend the validity period of all licenses beyond the 30 August deadline.
All licensing centres in Gauteng will operate between 08:30 and 15:00 during the week and between 08:30 and 14:00 on Saturdays.Phone Nigel Licensing Department on 011 999 9225 or Heidelberg Licensing Department on 016 450 3925 for more information.
