{"id":264002,"date":"2025-06-23T11:26:35","date_gmt":"2025-06-23T09:26:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/?p=264002"},"modified":"2025-06-23T11:36:11","modified_gmt":"2025-06-23T09:36:11","slug":"da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/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":264004,"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_novanewscozaswartlandgazette":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozatygerburger":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavistanews":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozavrystaatkroon":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweskusnuus":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaweslander":false,"_crsspst_to_novanewscozaworcesterstandard":false,"_eb_attr":"","_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":[8159,8060,8160],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"publication":[],"class_list":["post-264002","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 | UD Express (Uitenhage)<\/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\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"UD Express (Uitenhage)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-06-23T09:36:11+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/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:creator\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@EP_Media24\" \/>\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\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Novus Media\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0c8b035de90d6e3a97b74499d3371c7e\"},\"headline\":\"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-23T09:36:11+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":353,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/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\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#respond\"]}],\"copyrightYear\":\"2025\",\"copyrightHolder\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\"}},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/\",\"name\":\"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens | UD Express (Uitenhage)\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-06-23T09:36:11+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\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/06\\\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/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\\\/udexpress\\\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/\",\"name\":\"UD Express\",\"description\":\"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"UD Express\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-ZA\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/03\\\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"UD Express\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/novanews.co.za\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/PEExpress1\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/EP_Media24\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/express_newspapers\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.youtube.com\\\/@expressonline3000\\\/videos\"],\"description\":\"UD Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) and Despatch communities since 1971, making it the oldest single-title free sheet in South Africa. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 30,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door across Kariega, Despatch, and surrounding areas every week.\",\"email\":\"udexpress@novusmedia.co.za\",\"telephone\":\"0+2719925650\",\"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\\\/udexpress\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/0c8b035de90d6e3a97b74499d3371c7e\",\"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\\\/udexpress\\\/author\\\/novusmedia\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens | UD Express (Uitenhage)","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\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/","og_site_name":"UD Express (Uitenhage)","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","article_published_time":"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-06-23T09:36:11+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1380,"height":776,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Novus Media","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@EP_Media24","twitter_site":"@EP_Media24","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Novus Media","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/"},"author":{"name":"Novus Media","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/0c8b035de90d6e3a97b74499d3371c7e"},"headline":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens","datePublished":"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-23T09:36:11+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/"},"wordCount":353,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/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\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#respond"]}],"copyrightYear":"2025","copyrightHolder":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization"}},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/","name":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens | UD Express (Uitenhage)","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-23T09:26:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-06-23T09:36:11+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\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-ZA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/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\/udexpress\/da-calls-for-urgent-reform-as-driving-licence-crisis-deepens\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"DA calls for urgent reform as driving licence crisis deepens"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#website","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/","name":"UD Express","description":"To Inform, Engage and Empower Local Communities","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-ZA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#organization","name":"UD Express","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-ZA","@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/uitenhage-despatch-site-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"UD Express"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/PEExpress1\/","https:\/\/x.com\/EP_Media24","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/express_newspapers\/","https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@expressonline3000\/videos"],"description":"UD Express has been the eyes, ears, and voice of the Kariega (formerly Uitenhage) and Despatch communities since 1971, making it the oldest single-title free sheet in South Africa. Established with the goal of keeping our community informed, we have grown into one of the most trusted local news sources in the region, with 30,000 free copies delivered mostly door to door across Kariega, Despatch, and surrounding areas every week.","email":"udexpress@novusmedia.co.za","telephone":"0+2719925650","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\/udexpress\/#\/schema\/person\/0c8b035de90d6e3a97b74499d3371c7e","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\/udexpress\/author\/novusmedia\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/traffic-officer-driving-licence.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":50246,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/renewal-of-drivers-licences-20200715-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":264002,"position":0},"title":"Renewal of drivers\u2019 licences","author":"UD Express","date":"16 July 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"MOTORISTS are extremely frustrated and confused with the renewal process of vehicle and drivers\u2019 licences.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50128,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/uhage-driving-licence-testing-centre-closed-20200805-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":264002,"position":1},"title":"U\u2019hage driving licence testing centre closed","author":"UD Express","date":"6 August 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"THE Uitenhage Driving Licence Testing Centre (DLTC) was closed on Monday owing to a COVID-19 positive case. The centre will reopen on Wednesday, August 12.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50306,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/traffic-service-hit-20200701-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":264002,"position":2},"title":"Traffic service hit","author":"UD Express","date":"2 July 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"THE Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality issued a statement on Tuesday morning, informing residents about the closure of the Korsten driving licence testing centre after a staff member tested positive for Covid-19.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":54193,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/phone-for-appointment-to-renew-drivers-licence-20180711-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":264002,"position":3},"title":"Phone for appointment to renew driver\u2019s licence","author":"UD Express","date":"12 July 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"FOLLOWING appeals from residents to improve the efficiency of the phone lines, used to make appointments at both the Korsten and Uitenhage Traffic and Drivers License Centres, the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality improved this service drastically.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50780,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/free-k53-learners-book-to-increase-mobility-20200226-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":264002,"position":4},"title":"Free K53 learner\u2019s book to increase mobility","author":"UD Express","date":"27 February 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"SOUTH Africa\u2019s largest and most trusted motoring marketplace, AutoTrader, has invested in making the K53 learner\u2019s book available free of charge to all South Africans via Help Guides.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d3a7178792334e74a9e7887218214ef5.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d3a7178792334e74a9e7887218214ef5.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d3a7178792334e74a9e7887218214ef5.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d3a7178792334e74a9e7887218214ef5.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d3a7178792334e74a9e7887218214ef5.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/d3a7178792334e74a9e7887218214ef5.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47742,"url":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/renew-vehicle-licence-disc-at-pick-n-pay-20220119-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":264002,"position":5},"title":"Renew vehicle licence disc at Pick n Pay","author":"UD Express","date":"20 January 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Pick n Pay, one of South Africa\u2019s retail giants, announced that they have introduced a vehicle licence renewal system.","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/c12cb41e63484c8586a791119c42f955.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/c12cb41e63484c8586a791119c42f955.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/c12cb41e63484c8586a791119c42f955.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"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\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264002","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/84"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=264002"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/264002\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/264004"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264002"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=264002"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=264002"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=264002"},{"taxonomy":"publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/novanews.co.za\/udexpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication?post=264002"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}