As of late, South Africans are seeing the government implementing a series of new regulations and legislations. However, one of the latest changes in the pipeline involves motorists.
This follows transport director-general Alec Moemi explaining that the government is currently planning to launch new motor vehicle licence plates.
He explains the new systems are not without good cause. In fact, while presenting the National Road Traffic Amendment Bill to parliament, Moemi claimed the changes are especially significant when identifying cars during road accidents.
When looking at the new system, Moemi stated microdots will be embedded into the new number plates—and these will then be regulated.
Furthermore, manufacturers of these number plates, as well as those who hand them out to motorists, will also be regulated. This is to guarantee, forged plates are prevented. Thus, if a counterfeit plate is produced, the new system will be able to identify the forged plate, according to Moemi.
He further points out the technology is already in use across the country’s highways. Most notably in Gauteng and Cape Town, as well as at the country’s borders. Additionally, similar technology can also be used to scan vehicles which travel under highway bridges. Not a large selling point, considering this is the very purpose of a standard number plate—to be able to identify a vehicle from distance or up close.
In respect to crime and road safety, Moemi highlights the new system will also give the government a better understanding of road usage within the country.
At this point in time, South Africa’s traffic impact is being calculated by department employees at intersections, or by using Gauteng’s e-toll gantries. Therefore, he affirms microdots will assist the government in measuring traffic patterns and hotspots—but does this and the aforementioned features hold enough merit to justify a national outlay in a healing economy?
Weighing in on the new number plate system is a person who is well-versed and holds many years experience in the industry, Candiss Nell of Newcastle Numberplate Centre & Q 4 Me. Elaborating on the matter and offering peace of mind to motorist, Nell states, the new number plate system will prove to be a costly endeavour. However, she assures, motorists need not worry too much about it in the near future—stressing this point by saying, “This is still going to be a long process.”
While Moemi enthused the microdots will be especially helpful in identifying vehicles, Nell highlights there are several ways to identify vehicles already, thereby making this point moot.
With the government looking at implementing a new number plate system, what are your thoughts? Share your opinions with us in the comment section below.
Comments 7
ANOTHER MONEY MAKING RACKET!!
Preventing false number plates in the current climate of corruption is not viable at all!!!
Supply the plates FREE of cost to motorist! – THEN MAYBE
If they do it free ok, but otherwise is anogheg money make scam
So we must pay for new money making scam, this is day light robbery and totally unacceptable, that South Africans must pay for Government system flops. It like with vehicle license disc’s, why must we still pay for it, we are paying feul tax, road use tax and toll gates, why not work it into the tax we pay. Even the new point system they want to implement, for which party is this going to target, the normal onnust road user or the wreak less drivers on our public roads and cities and towns. I mean I saw it today again, you can just stop to pick up a person in the middle of the road, the Taxi association can pull vehicles and mini busses off without even having the authority or a trained traffic officer on site to regulate these actions, and it can cause accidents and fear into our people as they are not sure if it is a roadblock or a riot. This confusion causes accidents. We builded lanes for busses to use in the cities, why not do it in the towns and national roads as well, we are already paying for it and for “infrastructure improvements”. Drivers Licence renewals also
Drivers Licence renewals every 5 years, how about I give an input into this matter, if I don’t have a fine or in the new plan of Government, point deductions against me why do we need to go every 5 years to renew our Licence, also in smaller towns and cities like Witbank were it take you the whole day in long quest, just to obtain a document and the stand again to pay for it, and the best of all is they start to assist people at 09:00 and then it’s just untill 10:15, then it’s tea time. Than at 11:00 they start helping people till 13:00, then it’s lunch time till 13:45, then they assist people till 15:30, if your not done or still standing to pay, sorry we are closing now – come back tomorrow _ REALLY is that right, is that service rendering, is this the type of service we must pay for and they can’t go to a bank or a post office to pay and collect later service, only one building down town, the one at the fire station only assist with Licence disks that is also need to say when they are online, no additional building to assist a big community. Come back tomorrow, who as an employer can afford to have anployee be from work for two days just to get a Licence. Even in the COVID – 19 Time, sosial distancing in a small building with no ticket system that works, first come first serve and irretated people pushing and shuffling in front of other people and with no respect, where is the Law and Order in that, if I didn’t made any accidents or have any fines against my name, why can’t you just post the card to a person, and now let’s get to TV License payments, how do a buy a TV, then pay a TV Licence for SABC channels that most of the general pupulation is not even looking at and pay DSTV an upset amount of money for repeat on repeat on repeat and pay additional for Netflix and Showax, let look it, R200 Net flix + R200 Showmax, R954 for DSTV excluding extra view and the SABC R265 – you can do the maths and so we pay and pay and pay for services that’s not worth paying for with our hard worked and hard urned money. The poor just get poorer, the Ritch is now middle class and Government is now the richest of all of us. When was the last time Parlement was sitting down for the people in this country problems, no its for own political gain, not to solve problems, when is enough, really enough, where we say “I can work no more to feed my family because all my money goes to tax, for Government employees to sit and in eris us in Parlement, start looking at the problems of the people, if you look after your people, the people will start looking after you.
Politicians stop makiking fals promises tou the people that looks up to you and hoping that you will change their lives, they are poor, hungry and Fonerable, and you eat nice in your lucery house, while he feeds on your promises of own personal gain and not to the people that are really in need of problems that needs attention and needs to be resolved. I think my statement shows the frustration that people are going through. Thank you.
How much is the number plate going to be?
Are we going to renew it yearly or what?