No more driving licence extensions, Mbalula warns
TRANSPORT Minister Fikile Mbalula said yesterday that there would be no more extension periods for the renewal of driving licence cards.
Mbalula was speaking during the release of the Easter period road statistics. The minister said only a week remained before the deadline for the extended period for renewing cards that expired between March 26, 2020 and August 31, 2021.
He said South Africa had a backlog of 1.3 million expired driving licence cards. Motorists between the ages of 25 and 50 make up 68% of the backlog, about 880 000 people.
In light of the backlog, Mbalula said the department had created a plan, which was already operational in all nine provinces, to address it.
These measures include extending operating hours of licensing centres by two hours. Until May 31, licensing centres will be opened on a Saturday and Sunday.
In the Eastern Cape and Gauteng, walk-in customers who did not make an online booking would be serviced.
“Motorists must understand that they have to utilise their booked slots to help us tackle the backlog in a meaningful way. We urge these drivers to ensure they honour their commitment and take up the slots, which would ordinarily have been used by others who have difficulty in finding slots closer to where they live,” he said.
With regards to the infamous driving licence card machine, Mbalula said the department had overcome the challenges it faced after the machine broke down in November last year.
As of April 27, the department has produced 789 600 driving licence cards. The remaining 596 513 cards would be printed by June 2022, he said.
“We have done everything to remove obstacles that were an impediment in the renewal of driving licences,” the minister said.
Meanwhile, regarding this year’s Easter weekend road fatalities, Mbalula said statistics showed a decline in accidents and fatalities compared to 2021.
There was a 31.5% decline in the number of road fatalities. A total of 162 people died on the roads, whereas 235 died during the same period last year.
Mbalula said most of the crashes occurred on Fridays and Saturdays.
Traffic during the reported period decreased by 21% in KwaZulu-Natal, primarily due to the recent flooding that destroyed major infrastructure. KZN recorded 21 road fatalities compared to 54 the year before.
A total of 2 395 speeding fines were issued, and 3 494 motorists were fined for driving unlicensed vehicles.