Mbalula extends grace period for expired licences

MOTORISTS with driving licences that expired before 31 March 2022 can breathe a sigh of relief after Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula extended the grace period to April 15.

The 15-day extension published in the Government Gazette yesterday reads: “All learner’s licences, driving licence cards, temporary driving licences and professional driving permits that expire during the period that commenced from 26 March 2020 up to and including 31 March 2022 are deemed to be valid and their validity periods are extended for further grace period ending on 15 April 2022.”

Transport and Public Works MEC Daylin Mitchell said of the 327 295 driver’s licences from the Western Cape that should have been renewed from August last year, 255 551 had been renewed, leaving 71 744 still in arrears.

“I wrote to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula in January to request a further extension to the validity period of learner’s licences, driving licence cards, temporary driving licences and professional driving permits.

“While I have not received a formal response to date, I welcome the news that the card machine has been repaired and is operating again.”

The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) estimated that by today, South Africa would still have over a million motorists with expired driver’s licence cards.

Outa’s senior legal project manager, Andrea van Heerden, said they supported calls for the extension of all expired driver licence cards to be renewed, and not just for those citizens who fell within the March 2020 to August 2021 category.

According to Van Heerden, if the government did not attempt to try to provide some relief, it would be declaring war with its own citizens.

City's Mayco Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith said there had been an increase in people visiting all their driving licence testing centres from early this week and long queues of people to be assisted.

Meanwhile, the Automobile Association's (AA) Layton Beard said motorists may have been negatively impacted from an insurance perspective if they are involved in crashes.

“Insurers may repudiate claims if motorists are driving with expired licences. Government's priority should be to provide an environment conducive to renewing these documents, and to provide the necessary back-up systems to ensure timely production and delivery.”