Time’s up to renew expired driving licences and discs

The pressure is on to get your expired vehicle discs and driving licences renewed before the end of the month. 

The national lockdown imposed on the country last year forced licencing centres to close. This resulted in a backlog of expired licences and subsequently the Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula extended the grace period for learner licences, driving licence cards, temporary driving licences and professional driving licences that expired from 26 March 2020 to 31 December 2020.

The grace period ends on 31 August with no further extensions announced, leaving motorists just over two weeks to get their documentation in order.

According to a statement issued by the Automobile Association (AA), the government has indicated that no further extensions will be considered.

The association added that the extensions that end on 31 August cover two periods:

The first extension covers the period from 26 March to 31 May 2021 and covers the following documents which expired during that time:

• Vehicle licence discs
• Temporary permits
• Roadworthy certificates.

The second extension covers the period 26 March 2020 to 31 December 2020 and covers the following documents which expired during that that time:

• Learner’s licences
• Driver’s licences
• Professional Driving Permits

Time is also up for government to fix the system – AA

In a statement on Monday the association reiterated its call on the government to find lasting solutions to the renewal problems. “Excessively long queues caused by reduced staff at Driving Licence Testing Centres (DLTCs) and limited resources has resulted in many people being unable to renew their documents, through no fault of their own.

“However willing motorists are to renew their documents, they remain at the mercy of a broken system.”

They added that the inability to renew their documents will force many motorists to drive with expired and invalid discs and licences “because they don’t have choice”.

The association said that they have received many emails and calls from the public complaining that computers, printers and eye machines are not working at the DLTCs.

“Government acknowledges that there are problems at the DLTCs which renew these documents. Yet, despite this, these problems persist and will continue to persist until government takes a bold decision to replace – not repair or revamp – the current IT systems along with increased human resources at DTLCs,” the AA added.

The association recommended that the government expand the current operations of the DLTCs. “The private sector must be roped in to assist so that the current system across the country be replaced. The failure to implement even one of these recommendations will result in continued poor service delivery to the motoring public,” the AA concluded.

Tips on licence renewals:

• Do not wait until the exact expiry date before considering to renew your vehicle or driving licence
• Allow at least four weeks lead time from date of application for your delivery of your driving licence card
• Apply for your driving licence early to avoid having to apply for a temporary driving licence at an additional cost

When applying for your driving licence, present the following to your nearest DLTC:

• Original ID and a copy, old driving licence card or valid South African passport
• Four black and white ID photographs
• Proof of residence
• Licence renewal fee

Source Automobile Association (AA), RTMC