On Friday, Mbalula said the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has done research and benchmarked over 60 countries as part of evaluating options for reviewing the driver’s license renewal period. He also said he consulted MECs who are in full support of the review.  

“The research revealed that countries ranked above South Africa according to the WHO, have an average driving licence card validity period of 9,3 years and countries ranked lower than South Africa averaging 4.4 years”, he said. 

Mbalula announced that he will be approaching Cabinet with a proposal to have the validity period extended from five years to eight or ten years.  

But, AfriForum’s Reiner Duvenhage says their argument that drivers’ licenses are permanently valid still stands.  

“This extension that the minister of the cabinet is going to ask for, does not address the legal gap that AfriForum has identified with its legal action,” he says.  

“AfriForum’s legal action requests that the renewal period of license cards be reviewed and scrapped, as we argue that the road traffic law stipulates that driving licenses are valid indefinitely.” 

AfriForum has described legislation prescribing the current renewal period as “unreasonable, arbitrary, and vague”. 

Duvenage also criticises Mbalula’s announcement of Cabinet’s approval the replacement of the current license cards with a newer version that has better security features.  

He says the Transport department’s track record inspires very little confidence that they will be able to execute the task efficiently. 

“An example of this, is that the NaTIS system still does not function properly 15 years after being put into effect. Secondly, Mbalula also said that he will ask the cabinet to implement a renewal period of between eight and ten years,” Duvenage said. 

Mbalula says he’s unfazed by the court bid and will make an announcement on the matter raised once Cabinet has made a final decision.  

Jacaranda FM