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Image: OUTA
Ten-year driving licences: Government finally heeds civil society’s call
Long-overdue reform will save motorists time and money and reduce pressure on South Africa’s inefficient licence-renewal system
- OUTA has campaigned for ten-year driving licence cards since the COVID-19 licensing crisis in 2020.
- OUTA’s research across 35 countries found an average validity period of 8.5 years.
- The change is not yet in force: motorists must continue renewing expiring cards until the amendments to the legal prescripts are published.
OUTA notes Cabinet’s long-overdue approval of ten-year driving licence cards for light motor vehicles. The decision follows years of calls for reform from OUTA and other civil society organisations.
“This decision is almost six years overdue, but it is a victory for motorists and for common sense. Government has finally accepted that forcing motorists through an inefficient renewal system every five years wastes time and money without making our roads safer,” says OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage.
The ten-year validity period will apply to driving licence codes A, A1, B and EB. Heavy commercial and public transport vehicle licences will remain subject to the existing two- or five-year renewal periods, while professional driving permits will continue to be renewed every two years.
OUTA first called for the validity period to be extended in September 2020, when COVID-19 restrictions severely disrupted licensing services and contributed to a growing backlog of expired driving licence cards. Although the pandemic brought the crisis into sharp focus, our work showed that the five-year renewal cycle placed unnecessary pressure on a system already struggling with inefficiency, corruption and poor service delivery.
OUTA researched driving licence validity periods in 35 countries across six regions and found an average validity period of 8.5 years, with periods ranging from three to 20 years.
In June 2021, we also surveyed 3 685 motorists about their experiences with the renewal system: 65% reported frustration with the ineffective online booking system, 60% complained about long queues, about 45% referred to poor staff attitudes and more than 10% said they had witnessed bribery.
On 10 March 2022, OUTA met with then Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula and presented our research and detailed motivation for extending the validity period to ten years. We continued supporting the reform as renewal backlogs, card-printing failures and other inefficiencies persisted.
“Government took far too long to act, despite having the evidence and the power to address this unnecessary administrative burden. We are nevertheless pleased that it has arrived at the right decision,” says Duvenage.
OUTA’s international research found no evidence that longer validity periods for ordinary driving licence cards are associated with higher road-fatality rates. Road safety depends on effective law enforcement, properly trained and responsible drivers, roadworthy vehicles and safer roads—not how frequently an administrative card is renewed.
However, Cabinet’s approval does not mean that the ten-year validity period takes effect immediately. Amendments to the legal prescripts must first be published, and motorists must continue renewing expiring driving licence cards under the existing rules until the change officially comes into force.
The Department of Transport should now answer two important questions for motorists: when will the ten-year period take effect, and will it apply only to cards issued from that date or also to cards already in circulation?
OUTA calls on the Department to complete the required amendments without unnecessary delay, publish a clear implementation timetable and explain the transitional arrangements. This clarity is essential to prevent confusion and ensure that motorists do not mistakenly allow their current cards to expire.
More Information
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