Gauteng High Court nullifies driving licence card printing machine contract

THE Gauteng High Court, Pretoria, has set aside the controversial contract with French tech firm IDEMIA for the printing of the country's driving licences and ordered the Department of Transport to re-advertise the tender within 30 days.

- ZELDA VENTER

Pending the appointment of a successful service provider under the re-advertised tender, the department has also been allowed by the court to outsource the services of printing and issuing of driving licence (cards) to the Department of Home Affairs.

The department announced in September last year that it had appointed biometric security company, IDEMIA, as the preferred bidder for a tender to print new South African driving licence smart cards. IDEMIA is a French multinational technology firm that provides biometric identification and security services.

The tender has been advertised and withdrawn repeatedly in recent years. The most recent tender was issued on March 8, 2023. The R898 million contract issued by the department to IDEMIA sparked outrage from civil organisations such as the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa), who challenged the transparency of the tender.