The Department of Transport has officially announced the resumption of full production for the driving licence card production machine.
This development follows the department’s previous disclosure in May 2023 that the machine had undergone a three week shutdown to replace a faulty component discovered during routine maintenance.
Collen Msibi, the spokesperson for the department, explained that an additional two weeks were dedicated to testing the machine after the part replacement, ensuring its certification for full scale production.
With the machine now back in operation, Msibi stated, “This will result in an increase in production from 60,000 cards over the past three weeks during the testing period to approximately 120,000 cards per week.”
Msibi further highlighted the machine’s production history, stating that it had printed an average of 2,850,000 cards per year over the past two financial years. “Since its commissioning in 1998, it has printed over 60 million driving licence cards,” added Msibi.
Acknowledging the existing backlog, which currently amounts to 350,000 cards for the past five weeks, the Department emphasised that the backlog’s resolution depends on the number of orders received.
However, Msibi assured that a catch up plan had been implemented to address the backlog, aiming for its clearance by the end of August 2023.
Msibi also provided insights into the Department’s ongoing efforts, stating, “The department is currently working on the process to introduce a new driving licence card as approved by Cabinet in August 2022. The new driving licence card will be launched before the end of the current financial year.”
Additionally, he revealed that the introduction of the new card would coincide with the deployment of new card production machines, effectively marking a new era in the driving licence card environment.
“This signals the new dawn in the driving licence card environment,” concluded Msibi, highlighting the transformative impact of the upcoming changes.
When looking at the new cards, the Driving Licence Card Authority (DLCA) has previously explained that there will be significant advancements in the upcoming South African driving licence card, aimed at bolstering security measures and enhancing road safety.
The new card will be aligned more closely with international practices and incorporate cutting edge technologies to combat fraudulent licences.
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