Driving licences: Decade validity a no-go

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) is fighting Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga and the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) over the failure to extend the validity period of South African driving licence cards.

According to MyBroadband, Outa has questioned what it says are claims by RTMC chief executive Makhosini Msibi that many road accidents relate to infectious and other diseases, making regular eye tests crucial.

ALSO READ: Transport dept says ‘on track’ to deliver new driving licence card equipment

Outa said it found no communication or research to support Msibi’s statement. “It is completely unfounded. Outa questions whether the relevant research was done to substantiate these claims and, if so, will that research be released to the public?” it told MyBroadband.

“Many countries around the world have licence validity well beyond five years. They are not immune to the supposed ‘communicable diseases’ reason provided. In simple terms, we find this reason to be ludicrous.”

‘Seized with this question’

However, the transport department and RTMC are sticking to their guns, albeit with a slightly different reason for the need to renew cards every five years.

RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane said government was unlikely to shorten the validity.

“Research and benchmarking were done with other countries and it was found that many countries were limiting the validly of the driving licence card to five and eight years,” he said.

“The validity period of a driving licence card has not been shortened. It has always been five and not yet 10 years.” He said the national department of transport was “seized with this question”.

“In fact, a driving licence has no expiry date. What gets renewed is the driving licence card, because individuals have to show that they are still alive.

“Drivers also have to show that their eyesight has not deteriorated to such a way that may require their licence to be endorsed, with a requirement to use spectacles while driving, for instance.”

Amid concerns that the shortening of the period was meant to offer external service providers “more money in contracts”, Zwane said driving licence cards were “produced by the national department of transport, not service providers”.

ALSO READ: Cabinet appointments: This is who Outa says should not return

In 2018, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation looked into a dodgy R650-million contract involving former transport minister Mac Maharaj on allegations of having taken a bribe of R2.3 million from former president Jacob Zuma’s former financial advisor Schabir Shaik, whose company was awarded a 33% licence card deal.

Commenting on the driving licence impasse, Outa senior legal manager Andrea van Heerden said: “Outa is at this stage not planning to challenge this in court, but we do reserve our right to possibly do so in future.

“Outa is eagerly awaiting the announcement of the new minister of transport and will endeavour to engage with the newly appointed political head.

“The minister can easily effect the change by publishing the new regulations in the Government Gazette, therefore not needing Cabinet approval.

“Outa is of the opinion that the decision to backtrack on the extension of the driving licence card validity period is due to some other obscure agenda and not in the best interests of society.”

Mixed messages and ‘a step backwards’

Previous mixed messages sent by government on the licence validity period have included:

• Former transport minister Fikile Mbalula proposing the extension of the validity period to Cabinet; and

• In 2013, transport minister Dipuo Peters gazetting regulations extending the driving licence card validity period to 10 years, but almost a year later withdrawing this without explanation.

In the 1990s, transport scientists in Pretoria were developing what was said to be a world-first “credit card” driver licence, with an embedded chip on which all driver information, from address to infringements, could be stored and which would link to a central database accessible by multiple government departments.

Experts said the decision to adopt the card produced by Shaik’s company was a “huge step backwards”.