Good news gets better for anyone with a driving licence in South Africa
Cabinet’s approval of the extension of driver’s licence validity came months ahead of schedule, sparking hope that the new 10-year period may come into effect sooner than expected.
Currently, South African driver’s licences expire after five years. The cabinet has approved the proposal to extend this to ten years.
Supporters of this plan say that extending the validity period would ease pressure on South Africa’s licensing centres and provide convenience to road users.
The fight to increase the validity of driver’s licences from 5 years has been ongoing in South Africa since 2022, when the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) conducted a study on extending the validity period.
The study was announced by former Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, but its results were released only in 2024 under Mbalula’s successor, Sindisiwe Chikunga.
The study supported extending driver’s licence validity periods, but the idea was rejected by Chikunga and her administration.
Hope was renewed for the plans when Barbara Creecy took the helm as Transport Minister, and announced that the plans for extension would be reviewed.
Following this, on 31 July 2026, the plan to extend driver’s licence validity periods was approved by South Africa’s Cabinet.
This comes approximately eight months before the plan was expected to reach the Cabinet, according to the government’s medium-term goals.
These goals outlined that the plan would reach Cabinet by the end of the 2027 financial year (March 2027) and would then go to parliament by the end of the following financial year.
The cabinet approval being ahead of schedule gives South Africans hope that driver’s licence validity might be extended sooner than anticipated.
While the process is moving faster than initially planned, the traffic department did not specifically state that any timelines had been moved forward.
Potential roadblocks ahead
Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) CEO, Wayne Duvenage, said the ten-year licence validity could be in place within months, depending on the Presidency’s plans.
He said the process currently underway is a routine legal procedure necessary for the plan to take effect.
“If the minister and the Presidency really wanted to, it could be fast-tracked into the next couple of months,” he said. “This may require some degree of public consultation.”
While this is a good sign for South Africans hoping to have their driver’s licences’ validity extended, Duvenage warned of other potential snags.
He warned that the Department of Transport might be looking to implement the 10-year extension alongside its plans for new South African driver’s licences.
South Africa has been working towards a new, more secure driving licence card for motorists, but the procurement process has hit multiple delays and controversies.
A new driving licence card is needed as the country still relies on one printing machine, which is prone to breaking down.
Should the driving licence validity extension only fall in line with the new card production, then it risks being delayed beyond even the current timeline.
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