Statement DLCA Xtension

TRANSPORT MINISTRY
REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA
EXTENSION OF GRACE PERIOD FOR RENEWAL OF

DRIVING LICENCES EXPIRED BETWEEN 26 MARCH
2020 AND 21 AUGUST 2021
Yesterday, 31 March 2022 was the last day of the grace

period for renewal of driving licences that expired at the
height of the COVID-19 pandemic. These are driving
licences that expired between 26 March 2020 and 21
August 2021.
As on 28 March 2022 we had produced six hundred and

twenty-eight thousand one hundred and fifty (628,150)
driving licence card, reducing the backlog of cards to be
printed, to five hundred and twenty-two thousand eight
hundred and thirty (522,839). This is in respect of those
who have already applied to renew their licences.
The number of driving licence cards, falling in the
category to whom the grace period applies, for which
renewal applications have yet to be made, stands at one
million four hundred and twenty-four thousand seven
hundred and fifty-six (1,424,756). This is a reduction
from two million eight hundred and thirteen thousand
and sixteen (2,813,016). This means that only 49% of
the affected motorists have applied for renewal of their
expired driving licences. The primary reason for this is
that motorists are not coming forward to renew their
licences for a variety of reasons.
We are concerned that the pace of renewal in the

Provinces remains sluggish.
In the Western Cape, out of the four hundred and three

thousand five hundred and seven (403,507) expired
licences, two hundred and eighteen thousand two
hundred and eighty-six (218,286) driving licences have
been renewed, representing 54.1% renewal.
2
In Gauteng, out of the nine hundred and eighty-nine
thousand and fifty-eight (989,058) expired licences, five
hundred and two thousand and forty-one (502,041)
driving licences have been renewed, representing
50.8% renewal.
In the North-West, out of one hundred and thirty-four

thousand five hundred and two (134,502) expired
licences, sixty-seven thousand nine hundred and thirty-
six (67,936) have been renewed, representing 50.5%
renewal.
In the Northern Cape, out of fifty-two thousand two

hundred and eighty-four (52,284) expired licences,
twenty-six thousand three hundred and eighty-two
(26,382) driving licences have been renewed,
representing 50.5% renewal.
Five Provinces remain below 50% of renewal of expired

driving licences.
3
In the Free State, out of one hundred and thirty-four
thousand nine hundred and seventeen (134,917)
expired licences, sixty-five thousand five hundred and
fifty-one (65,551) driving licences have been renewed,
In KwaZulu-Natal, out of the four hundred and forty-eight

thousand eight hundred and thirty-six (448,836) expired
licences, two hundred and thirteen thousand nine
hundred and ninety-five (213,995) driving licences have
been renewed, representing 47.7% renewal.
In the Eastern Cape, out of the one hundred and ninety-

three thousand nine hundred and sixty-one (193,961)
expired licences, eighty-nine thousand seven hundred
and seventy-four (89,774) driving licences have been
renewed, representing 46.3% renewal.
4
In Mpumalanga, out of two hundred and twenty-one
thousand six hundred and eighty-two (221,682) expired
licences, one hundred and one thousand seven hundred
and fifty-eight (101,758) driving licences have been
renewed, representing 45.9% renewal.
In Limpopo, out of two hundred and thirty-four thousand

two hundred and sixty-nine (234,269) expired licences,
one hundred and two thousand five hundred and thirty-
seven (102,537) driving licences have been renewed,
With the imminent end of the state of disaster, Directions

issued in terms of the disaster Regulations will also fall
away within the time frames indicated in the new
Regulations that are currently out of public comment
until 1 April 2022. This then poses a new challenge in
terms of how far we can extend any grace period.
5
After consultation with MECs and SALGA, we have
decided to extend the grace period of the validity of
driving licences that expired between 26 March 2020
and 31 August 2021 to 15 April 2022.
We urge all those who have yet to renew their driving

licences not to delay any further and take advantage of
the additional capacity we have provided and the online
services. Those who apply for renewal of their driving
licence cards before the expiry date are permitted to use
the expired card for a period of 3 months, provided that
they have in their possession the expired card and the
receipt in the vehicle at all times. This is a provision that
is contained in our National Road Traffic Regulations.
We do acknowledge that the biggest challenge we are

facing is the capacity of our DLTCs to cope with the last
minute influx of motorists who want to renew their
driving licences. Trends demonstrate that the majority
of motorists wait until the last minute to renew their
driving licences. This places the DLTCs under severe
pressure.
6
We are working closely with Provinces and
Municipalities to bring our collective capacity to bear, in
order to ensure that our system is able to respond to the
demand and does not buckle under pressure. The
same is true for the online services the RTMC has
introduced to minimise the time motorists spend in
queues at the DLTC.
As part of our engagements with various stakeholders,

the validity period of driving licence cards has been
mooted as one of the options we should consider. We
have commissioned the RTMC to undertake research on
possible changes to the renewal time-frames. Various
countries in the continent have renewal periods that
range from 2 to 5 years and a number of other countries
require renewal at anything from 6 to 15 years, while
others have integrated the driving licence into their
identity cards.
7
The research will look at the co-relation between the
renewal period and safety on our roads and what factors
should be taken into account if we are to revise the
current 5-year validity period. This work is already
underway and will be concluded by 30 April 2022.
We have agreed with the MECs that they will extend the
operating hours of the DLTCs in different Provinces and
open over weekends. The DLCA is already operating
24 hours a day to produce cards, with approval having
been granted by the Department of Public Service and
Administration for them to exceed the 30% cap on
overtime.
In conclusion, we are confident that the measures we

have in place will enable us to clear the backlog in the
system without putting the motorists on the wrong side
of the law through no fault of their own. We are
continually monitoring the efficacy of the measures and
will make adjustments where we find it necessary.
8
During the month of March, over 74 000 bookings were
made in Gauteng and Eastern Cape respectively. A
further 24 000 booking slots were not taken up. We call
upon motorists to come forward and renewed their
driving licences to avoid penalties on the road.
I thank you.

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TRANSPORT MINISTRY

REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA

EXTENSION OF GRACE PERIOD FOR RENEWAL OF

Yesterday, 31 March 2022 was the last day of the grace

As on 28 March 2022 we had produced six hundred and

We are concerned that the pace of renewal in the

In the Western Cape, out of the four hundred and three

In the North-West, out of one hundred and thirty-four

In the Northern Cape, out of fifty-two thousand two

Five Provinces remain below 50% of renewal of expired

In KwaZulu-Natal, out of the four hundred and forty-eight

In the Eastern Cape, out of the one hundred and ninety-

In Limpopo, out of two hundred and thirty-four thousand

With the imminent end of the state of disaster, Directions

We urge all those who have yet to renew their driving

We do acknowledge that the biggest challenge we are

As part of our engagements with various stakeholders,

In conclusion, we are confident that the measures we

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