‘Everyone in Gauteng will have to re-register’ – new number plates launching soon

Gauteng will launch new ‘high-tech’ license plates from April 1 to get a grip on soaring crime rates in the province.

The new plates are designed to be tamper-proof and will be fitted with a QR code linked to the vehicle’s owner.

Premier Panyaza Lesufi told eNCA that “every crime, especially violent crime, in our province, whether it is a cash-heist, kidnapping [or] murder, a car is involved, and our licensing regime was very bad, so we will launch new number plates in Gauteng from the 1st of April.”

He said this is in the hope of curbing elements impeding investigations, such as number plate copying.

Now, “we are starting afresh, all of us; every person that has a car must re-register and get a new registration number that cannot be copied and is reliable, so that we know what is happening in our province,” explained Lesufi at the launch of the province’s crime-busting partnership with VumaCam on 13 February.

Effective 1 April, individuals who renew their license disc must also apply for a new number plate.

While it will be possible to obtain a new number plate without renewing the license disc, the reverse will not be possible.

“Everyone must register their vehicle … If you spend 30 consecutive days in Gauteng, it means your car must be registered in Gauteng.”

During his State of the Province (SOPA) address in February 2023, Lesufi announced that the province will be introducing new number plates with tightened security features.

“The current number plates system is running out of the numeric and letters; We want to take advantage of this situation to introduce new, hard to copy and tamper number plates,” said Lesufi in the SOPA.

Currently, the project is in a trial phase – with government vehicles being fitted with the proposed plates. “We will unveil these number plates on Monday [19 February],” said Lesufi.

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