South Africa’s Only Driving Licence Printer Breaks Down Again — Backlogs and Delays Mount

Motorists in South Africa face more frustration as the Department of Transport (DoT) has confirmed that the country’s only driving licence card printer has broken down again — this time since February 2025.

The 26-year-old machine, housed at the Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) in Pretoria, is the sole printer of all driver’s licence cards in the country. Since its breakdown, not a single new card has been issued, causing a massive backlog that’s affecting thousands of drivers.

According to Alderman JP Smith, the City of Cape Town’s MMC for Safety and Security, Cape Town’s Driving Licence Testing Centres (DLTCs) have received nearly 60,000 licence applications this year alone — but not a single card has been delivered.

“To date, not a single licence has been received for those applications from the DLCA in Pretoria,” said Smith.

The DoT confirmed to MyBroadband that the DLCA is working with its sole equipment supplier in France to repair the aging printer. However, the process could take several weeks, meaning South Africans will continue to face delays in getting their renewed cards.

A Recurring Crisis

This isn’t the first time the machine has caused trouble. Since its installation nearly three decades ago, it has broken down 159 times. A similar outage in 2022 also brought the system to a halt. Now, three years later, South Africans are still dealing with the same problem — and patience is running out.

Civil society group OUTA (Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse) has urged Transport Minister Barbara Creecy to act swiftly. The group also renewed calls for broader reform of South Africa’s outdated licensing system.

“This is no longer a technical issue — it’s a governance failure,” said OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage.

What Drivers Should Know

For those needing to renew their licences, the good news is that expired cards remain valid for three months, provided you submit your renewal application before your card expires.

Motorists are advised to keep both their expired card and proof of renewal application when driving. If the situation isn’t resolved within three months, you’ll need to apply for a temporary licence, which costs R45 and remains valid for six months.

Failing to apply before expiry may result in additional costs and complications.

Time for Change?

This latest breakdown has sparked renewed calls for a complete overhaul of the licensing system. OUTA argues that South Africa should follow international trends and extend the validity of driver’s licences from five to ten years — a change that was actually gazetted back in 2013 but mysteriously withdrawn.

“Extending the validity period would reduce administrative burdens and lower costs for motorists and the state,” said OUTA.

Others, like road safety expert Rob Handfield-Jones, go further — calling for the complete retirement of physical licence cards in favour of permanent digital licences.

“There’s no technical reason why digital-only licences couldn’t work. If SARS can run tax compliance via an app, so can traffic enforcement,” said Handfield-Jones.

Still, critics argue that the state is unlikely to abandon the current system due to the revenue generated from licence renewals and physical card production.

As the only licence card printer in South Africa sits idle yet again, drivers are left in limbo. What was once seen as a temporary inconvenience has now become a national embarrassment. Calls for reform — from extending validity periods to adopting digital alternatives — are getting louder, and the pressure is now squarely on the Department of Transport to respond with urgency and innovation.

{Source: BusinessTech}

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