{"id":263525,"date":"2025-06-23T11:26:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T09:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/?p=263525"},"modified":"2025-06-23T11:36:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T09:36:15","slug":"da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/","title":{"rendered":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

CAPE TOWN<\/strong> – The Democratic Alliance (DA) has responded to the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA)\u2019s recent call for the suspension of fines against motorists who were unable to renew their licences, insisting that more fundamental reforms are needed beyond temporary relief measures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This comes after South Africa\u2019s sole driving licence card printing machine, which broke down on 5 February, has only now resumed operations after more than four months of inactivity. The extended breakdown has contributed to a staggering backlog of over 747 000 unissued driving licence cards across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the Department of Transport has confirmed that the machine is back online and efforts are underway to clear the massive backlog, the DA argues that this temporary fix fails to address deeper systemic problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe collapse of the system stems from the Department\u2019s failure to replace the 26-year-old printer,\u201d said a DA spokesperson. \u201cThis failure was caused by a bungled tender process that inexplicably ballooned from R486 million to R898 million and is now tied up in litigation, effectively paralysing any meaningful reform.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The opposition party has outlined a series of demands, calling for the Minister of Transport to table the full Auditor-General\u2019s report on the failed tender in Parliament, to summon Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) and Department officials before the Portfolio Committee to account for their actions, and to deliver a comprehensive recovery plan with clear timelines to operationalise a second printer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most significantly, the DA has renewed its call for the decentralisation of driving licence card production to provinces, arguing that breaking the national bottleneck is essential to building a more resilient and responsive system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSouth Africans should not be punished for government\u2019s administrative collapse,\u201d the DA said in a statement. \u201cThey deserve a system that works.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current crisis highlights ongoing challenges in South Africa\u2019s transport infrastructure and administrative systems, with ordinary citizens bearing the brunt of institutional failures. As the backlog continues to affect hundreds of thousands of motorists, pressure mounts on government officials to implement lasting solutions rather than temporary fixes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

CAPE TOWN – The Democratic Alliance (DA) has responded to the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA)\u2019s recent call for the suspension of fines against motorists who were unable to renew […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":263527,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":"67","_yoast_wpseo_content_score":"30","_yoast_wpseo_inclusive_language_score":"90","_yoast_wpseo_is_cornerstone":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_opengraph-image-id":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-title":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-description":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image":"","_yoast_wpseo_twitter-image-id":"","newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","_crsspst_to_novanewscoza":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozabloemnewsexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozacityvision":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozadistrictmailhelderberg":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaeikestadnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozahermanustimes":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakomani-karoo":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozakougaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozamthathaexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozanoordkaapbulletin":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapaarlpost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozapeoplespost":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaudexpress":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_EventAllDay":"","_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":"","_EventShowMapLink":"","_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":"","_EventVenueID":"","_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":"","_VenueShowMapLink":"","_application":"","_batch_id":"","_company_name":"","_company_tagline":"","_company_twitter":"","_company_video":"","_company_website":"","_custom_id":"","_EventDuration":"","_EventOrigin":"","_EventTimezoneAbbr":"","_featured":"","_filled":"","_job_expires":"","_job_location":"","_media_credit":"","_media_credit_url":"","_menu_item_menu_item_parent":"","_menu_item_object":"","_menu_item_object_id":"","_menu_item_target":"","_menu_item_type":"","_menu_item_url":"","_menu_item_xfn":"","_navis_media_can_distribute":"","_navis_media_credit_org":"","_OrganizerOrigin":"","_provider":"","_pum_built_in":"","_pum_default_theme":"","_pum_form_conversion_count":"","_remote_id":"","_remote_name":"","_remote_position":"","_report_frequency":"","_report_reference_dates":"","_send_attempts":"","_site_id":"","_sitemap_exclude":"","_sitemap_frequency":"","_sitemap_priority":"","_source_url":"","_subscription_period":"","_subscription_period_interval":"","_subscription_price":"","_tec_slr_enabled":"","_tec_slr_layout":"","_template_type":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_tribe_aggregator_allow_multiple_organizers":"","_tribe_aggregator_content_type":"","_tribe_aggregator_file":"","_tribe_aggregator_finalized":"","_tribe_aggregator_hash":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_id":"","_tribe_aggregator_import_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_interactive":"","_tribe_aggregator_origin":"","_tribe_aggregator_post_status":"","_tribe_aggregator_preview":"","_tribe_aggregator_source_name":"","_tribe_aggregator_type":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_hide_attendees_list":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":"","_tribe_ticket_version":"","_type":"","_VenueOrigin":"","_wp_attachment_context":"","_wp_attachment_image_alt":"","_wp_font_face_file":"","_wp_old_date":"","_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":"2","_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":"","_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":"","_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_block-catalog":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"1","_yoast_wpseo_primary_job_listing_type":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_nova_retailer":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_publication":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_tribe_events_cat":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-duration":"","_yoast_wpseo_videositemap-rating":"","_menu_item_classes":[],"_tribe_modified_fields":[],"_wp_attachment_backup_sizes":[],"_wp_suggested_privacy_policy_content":[],"_yoast_post_redirect_info":[],"_yoast_wpseo_video_meta":[],"activation_date":"","archive_insertion_is_repeating":"","archive_insertion_posts_count":"","article_feature_media":"","article_feature_type":"","article_main_image_caption":"","article_media_icon":"","article_template":"","author_byline":"","background_color":"","block_editor":"1","byline":"","cmplz_hide_cookiebanner":"","competition_end_date":"","contact_advertise_email":"","contact_advertise_phone":"","contact_editorial_email":"","contact_general_email":"","contact_general_phone":"","contact_office_hours":"","contact_physical_address":"","enabled":"","featured_image_custom_caption":"","featured_video_url":"","fields":"","font_body":"","font_header":"","frequency":"","headline":"","hide_border":"","icon":"","is_wp_suggestion":"","issuu_download_url":"","issuu_embed_url":"","language_version_url":"","large_border":"","name":"","nm_contact_name":"","nm_contact_number":"","nm_date_lost":"","no_overlay_background":"","node-url":"","obituary_born_date":"","obituary_died_date":"","obituary_memoriam_text":"","origin":"","overlay_color":"","overlay_opacity":"","overlay_size":"","placement":"","plural_label":"","post_author":"","post_id":"","post_language":"en","secret-key":"","sponsored_utm_campaign":"","sponsored_utm_content":"","sponsored_utm_medium":"","sponsored_utm_source":"","sponsored_utm_term":"","start_date":"","utm_suppression":"","video_embed_url":"","wp_pattern_sync_status":"","data_version":[],"enclosure":[],"pongrass_image":[],"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_content_restriction_is_exempt":false,"scaip_prevent_shortcode_addition":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[8107,8043,8108],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-263525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-broken-printing-machine","tag-da","tag-drivers-licence"],"yoast_head":"\nDA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens | Swartland Gazette<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens, insisting on systemic changes beyond temporary relief measures.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens, insisting on systemic changes beyond temporary relief measures.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Swartland Gazette\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gazetties\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-23T09:36:15+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1380\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"776\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Novus Media\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Novus Media\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Novus Media\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a98e83842070bcaa72412177f4b38f92\"},\"headline\":\"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-23T09:36:15+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":353,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"broken printing machine\",\"DA\",\"drivers licence\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/\",\"name\":\"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens | Swartland Gazette\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-23T09:36:15+00:00\",\"description\":\"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens, insisting on systemic changes beyond temporary relief measures.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg\",\"width\":1380,\"height\":776,\"caption\":\"OUTA and the DA are calling for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens.\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/\",\"name\":\"Swartland Gazette\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Swartland Gazette\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/swatland-gazette-site-icon-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/swatland-gazette-site-icon-1.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Swartland Gazette\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/gazetties\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@swartlandgazette\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/gazetteswartland\\\/\"],\"description\":\"From local governance to community celebrations, the Swartland Gazette is committed to sharing the stories that define our towns and the people who call them home. As the leading local publication, we take pride in being a trusted source of information, reflection, and representation for our readers. We make it our duty to inform, inspire, and connect the residents of Worcester, Rawsonville, De Doorns, Wolseley, Robertson, Ashton, Bonnievale, and Montagu \u2014 covering everything from council decisions and infrastructure projects to school events, cultural milestones, and everyday achievements that deserve recognition.\",\"email\":\"swartlandgazette@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"+27218704600\",\"legalName\":\"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd\",\"foundingDate\":\"2025-01-01\",\"vatID\":\"4100318916\",\"taxID\":\"2000\\\/018234\\\/07\",\"numberOfEmployees\":{\"@type\":\"QuantitativeValue\",\"minValue\":\"51\",\"maxValue\":\"200\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/a98e83842070bcaa72412177f4b38f92\",\"name\":\"Novus Media\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Novus Media\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/swartlandgazette\\\/author\\\/novusmedia\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens | Swartland Gazette","description":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens, insisting on systemic changes beyond temporary relief measures.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens","og_description":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens, insisting on systemic changes beyond temporary relief measures.","og_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/","og_site_name":"Swartland Gazette","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gazetties\/","article_published_time":"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-23T09:36:15+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1380,"height":776,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Novus Media","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Novus Media","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/"},"author":{"name":"Novus Media","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/#\/schema\/person\/a98e83842070bcaa72412177f4b38f92"},"headline":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens","datePublished":"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-23T09:36:15+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/"},"wordCount":353,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg","keywords":["broken printing machine","DA","drivers licence"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/","name":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens | Swartland Gazette","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-23T09:36:15+00:00","description":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens, insisting on systemic changes beyond temporary relief measures.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg","width":1380,"height":776,"caption":"OUTA and the DA are calling for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens."},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/","name":"Swartland Gazette","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/#organization","name":"Swartland Gazette","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/swatland-gazette-site-icon-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/swatland-gazette-site-icon-1.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Swartland Gazette"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/gazetties\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@swartlandgazette","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/gazetteswartland\/"],"description":"From local governance to community celebrations, the Swartland Gazette is committed to sharing the stories that define our towns and the people who call them home. As the leading local publication, we take pride in being a trusted source of information, reflection, and representation for our readers. We make it our duty to inform, inspire, and connect the residents of Worcester, Rawsonville, De Doorns, Wolseley, Robertson, Ashton, Bonnievale, and Montagu \u2014 covering everything from council decisions and infrastructure projects to school events, cultural milestones, and everyday achievements that deserve recognition.","email":"swartlandgazette@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"+27218704600","legalName":"Novus Media (Pty) Ltd","foundingDate":"2025-01-01","vatID":"4100318916","taxID":"2000\/018234\/07","numberOfEmployees":{"@type":"QuantitativeValue","minValue":"51","maxValue":"200"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/#\/schema\/person\/a98e83842070bcaa72412177f4b38f92","name":"Novus Media","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/301565e6eb478c51ef897a38a789d0f3da6ec2a9ceb0d64f47de374b41e63698?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Novus Media"},"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/author\/novusmedia\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":51943,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/crucial-tips-from-the-aa-for-new-drivers-20170207-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":263525,"position":0},"title":"Crucial tips from the AA for new drivers","author":"Swartland Gazette","date":"14 February 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Learning to drive used to be a rite of passage for young people.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ffb4df955494af9be4267c4e0921ca0.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ffb4df955494af9be4267c4e0921ca0.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ffb4df955494af9be4267c4e0921ca0.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ffb4df955494af9be4267c4e0921ca0.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":42459,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/crucial-tips-from-the-aa-for-new-drivers-20170207\/","url_meta":{"origin":263525,"position":1},"title":"Crucial tips from the AA for new drivers","author":"Swartland Gazette","date":"14 February 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Learning to drive used to be a rite of passage for young people.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ffb4df955494af9be4267c4e0921ca0.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ffb4df955494af9be4267c4e0921ca0.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ffb4df955494af9be4267c4e0921ca0.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/5ffb4df955494af9be4267c4e0921ca0.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44371,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/winelands-entries-open-20240812-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":263525,"position":2},"title":"Winelands entries open","author":"Swartland Gazette","date":"13 August 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"The biggest running event on the Cape Winelands calendar, the Sportsmans Warehouse Winelands Marathon, takes place on 30 November at Eikestad Primary School, Stellenbosch.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2de30bcc86bc49d59eb3f33deb0df76d.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2de30bcc86bc49d59eb3f33deb0df76d.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2de30bcc86bc49d59eb3f33deb0df76d.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/2de30bcc86bc49d59eb3f33deb0df76d.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":50295,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/enter-the-laguna-mall-road-race-20220414-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":263525,"position":3},"title":"Enter the Laguna Mall road race","author":"Swartland Gazette","date":"19 April 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"On Saturday 23 April the popular Laguna Mall 10 km road race and 5 km fun run returns after a two-year wait due to Covid-19.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50378,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/easter-road-safety-in-swartland-20220411-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":263525,"position":4},"title":"Easter road safety in Swartland","author":"Swartland Gazette","date":"12 April 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"In anticipation of a very busy Easter Weekend as well as Easter Break, Swartland Municipality kicked off their Easter Road Safety Campaign on 8 April. Although the school holidays have already concluded, a very busy Easter season is expected with two","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/503f823c75da4fbcbef8fca3020dde22.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/503f823c75da4fbcbef8fca3020dde22.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/503f823c75da4fbcbef8fca3020dde22.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/503f823c75da4fbcbef8fca3020dde22.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/503f823c75da4fbcbef8fca3020dde22.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/503f823c75da4fbcbef8fca3020dde22.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":44876,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/enter-the-laguna-mall-10-km-road-race-20240408-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":263525,"position":5},"title":"Enter the Laguna Mall 10 km road race","author":"Swartland Gazette","date":"9 April 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"On Saturday, 20 April 2024 the very popular Laguna Mall 10 km road race and 5 km fun run will be held again at the mall. The event is presented by Laguna Mall Langebaan in conjunction with Club Mykonos MultiSport and takes place at Laguna Mall in Lan","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Novus Media","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=263525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/263525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/263527"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=263525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=263525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=263525"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=263525"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/swartlandgazette\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=263525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}