More than 40 000 motorists in South Africa were fined in May for driving without a valid driving licence. That equates to about 1 300 fines per day.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there was a grace period for motorists whose licences expired between 26 March 2020 and 31 August last year. The grace period was extended twice, but Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula then announced it would not be extended again.
Simon Zwane, spokesperson for the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), has now warned motorists the regulations for drivers licences are now being implemented by law enforcement officers.
But due to huge backlogs caused by Covid-19 delays, many South Africans are still waiting long periods of time to receive their new driving licences, this despite claims by the RTMC that driving licence cards could be produced and issued within six weeks.
The fine for a motorist who drives without a valid driving licence is currently R1 250. This means that officers issued fines worth approximately R50 million in May this year, reports MyBroadband.
According to Zwane, the driving licence card account or the DLCA now delivers faster cards, but motorists do not collect their driving licences.
Motorists are advised to pick up their documents on time to avoid unnecessary fines in these difficult economic times.
“Every penny counts these days,” says Zwane.
Despite the RTMC’s assurance that completed cards can be picked up within six weeks, people are still complaining on social media platforms that they are waiting much longer. The DLCA had a large backlog with renewal applications for driving licences because motorists could not get appointments for renewal due to delays at test centres.
The backlog has worsened after the only driving licence card making machine in South Africa broke in November 2021.
According to MyBroadband, the backlog has built up to 2.1 million cards. The DLCA said in May it expected the backlog to be wiped out by the end of June. Those who have applied to renew their driving licences can track the progress by texting their ID number to 33214.
