South African motorists are being strongly advised by traffic authorities to retain their expired driving licences during 2025 to avoid facing avoidable penalties. This advice follows renewed concerns about the persistent issues plaguing the Department of Transport’s driver’s licence card production system. As reported by BusinessTech, the country’s only functioning licence card printing machine has once again ceased to operate, placing immense strain on the already overstretched licensing system.
Key Takeaways
- Keep Your Expired Licence: Motorists are urged to retain their expired driving licences in 2025 due to the ongoing breakdown of the country’s only licence card printing machine.
- Apply for a Temporary Licence: If your renewal application was submitted before the expiry date, you qualify for a three-month grace period. If not, a temporary licence—valid for six months—is required.
- Tender and System Failures Under Scrutiny: The Department of Transport is under fire for procurement irregularities and failing to maintain a backup plan for such a vital national service, further delaying card issuance.
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While the repeated failure of the machine might seem like an all-too-familiar problem, the Department of Transport finds itself severely limited in its ability to address the issue. With only one operational unit and no effective backup, the department is left managing a critical national process under constrained conditions. In a country of over 60 million people and millions of registered drivers, relying on a single outdated machine borders on administrative negligence, according to transport experts.
Temporary Driving Licences Urged Amid Mounting Delays
In light of the current crisis, municipal authorities, including those in major metropolitan areas, are urging motorists to hold on to their expired licence cards and apply for temporary driving licences instead. Internal reports from the Department of Transport suggest that the only available card printing machine has been inoperative since January 2025. This ongoing malfunction has led to a growing backlog, with thousands of processed applications remaining unfulfilled due to the inability to print new cards. The mounting pressure has started to affect driving schools, insurance companies, and even traffic law enforcement, who are finding it increasingly difficult to verify valid licence status. Some licensing departments have reportedly run out of physical storage space for unprinted applications, adding to the chaos.
Severe Impact on Licence Card Distribution
The City of Cape Town has confirmed that approximately 60,000 applications for new driving licences have been fully processed. However, due to the January breakdown, none of these applicants have received their physical cards. Since the faulty machine must be repaired abroad, there is currently no definitive timeline for the restoration of services. As such, motorists caught in this uncertain situation are encouraged to retain their expired driving licences as a precautionary measure, particularly while they await the delivery of their renewed cards. Transport officials privately admit that the queue for processing printed cards could stretch months into late 2025, even if repairs are completed soon. In some provinces, applicants are reporting waiting periods exceeding six months, leaving many without legal driving documentation. This situation has sparked renewed calls for decentralising card production and investing in updated, locally serviceable technology.
Expired licences can sometimes lead to fines if you’re caught with outdated paperwork. To fully grasp the consequences, it’s smart to learn how traffic fines work in South Africa—you may be surprised by the compounding costs.
Minister of Transport Faces Heightened Scrutiny
The current challenges could not come at a worse time for the Department of Transport and the recently appointed Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy. The situation is further complicated by a recent report from the Auditor-General, which highlighted several procurement irregularities in the appointment of a new service provider responsible for producing driver’s licence cards.
The company selected for the contract, Idemia Identity and Security—based in France—was tasked not only with card production but also with rolling out the new digital Driver’s Licence Card Accounts (DLCAs). However, according to the Auditor-General’s findings, the criteria used during the tender process were not applied consistently to all bidding entities, raising concerns over the fairness and legality of the award.
Questions have been raised in Parliament regarding how such a critical contract could proceed without proper compliance checks, and whether political interference played a role in the flawed tendering process.
Fortunately for the department, the Minister has confirmed that no public funds were spent on the implementation of the new cards. Nevertheless, any attempt to proceed with Idemia under the current circumstances would constitute irregular expenditure, owing to the inconsistencies identified during the procurement evaluation process. The scandal has already dented confidence in the department’s ability to manage essential services, with transport unions and advocacy groups calling for full transparency and accountability.
If your expired licence is linked to a vehicle you no longer own or are trading in, it’s a perfect time to reassess the best way to finance a car—especially if you’re eyeing an upgrade in 2025.
Legal Validity and Temporary Licence Requirements
Despite the technical breakdown, South African motorists are reminded that driving without a valid licence remains unlawful. According to the National Road Traffic Act, an expired driving licence remains valid for a period of three months after its expiry—but only if the driver applied for renewal prior to the expiration date.
Motorists must also be in possession of proof of payment for their licence renewal application to benefit from this grace period. If, after three months, the new licence card has still not been issued, the applicant is eligible to apply for a temporary driving licence, which remains valid for six months.
This temporary licence is accepted nationwide but may not be recognised outside South Africa, which could pose problems for cross-border transport workers and frequent travellers. Traffic authorities are also warning that failing to carry the correct supporting documents, including proof of renewal, could still lead to fines or vehicle impoundments during random roadblocks.
However, motorists who delay their renewal application until after their licence has expired will forfeit the three-month grace period and will be required to obtain a temporary licence immediately. Officials are urging drivers to act promptly and not assume that leniency will be granted due to the backlog. Several metro municipalities have begun intensifying awareness campaigns to ensure motorists understand their legal responsibilities during this period of administrative failure.
Conclusion
The breakdown of South Africa’s sole driving licence card printing machine has triggered a nationwide backlog, leaving thousands of motorists without physical licence cards. With no clear timeline for repair and ongoing concerns about flawed procurement processes, authorities are urging drivers to retain expired cards, ensure timely renewal applications, and apply for temporary licences when needed. The issue highlights a broader administrative crisis in transport infrastructure, underscoring the need for accountability, modernisation, and proper contingency planning.
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