Driving licence backlog to be cleared in three, four months- minister

THE Transport Department hopes to clear the 700,000 outstanding driving licence cards within three to four months, says Transport Minister Barbara Creecy.

- MAYIBONGWE MAQHINA

The machine broke down in February, when its electronic cards were damaged.

Responding to sets of parliamentary questions from parliamentarians from Rise Mzansi, EFF and MK Party, Creecy said the driver's licence card machine has now been fixed and is currently dealing with the backlog of driving licence cards that must be printed.

“As of 15 May 2025, the backlog count is estimated at 733,000 cards,” said Creecy.

The backlog was down from 747,748 outstanding cards recorded on May 2.

The machine has suffered major breakdowns totalling 129 days from 2022/23 to date, with only 38 days recorded in the current financial year alone.

The department incurred R11.9 million in repairs and maintenance costs and sent R4.3 million in overtime payments during the same period.

Creecy said the card production facility has since extended working hours for the staff members in the card production facility to ensure the reduction of the backlog.