Government plans to standardise South Africa’s Temporary Driving Licence (TDL) fees across all nine provinces, says transport minister Fikile Mbalula.<\/p>\n
Answering in a recent written parliamentary Q&A session, Mbalula said fees vary from province to province – starting from as little as R54 to as high as R94.<\/p>\n
Mbalula said that the change is primarily being made for administrative reasons, and so that government can offer a standardised service across all of its testing stations.<\/p>\n
Thousands of South African motorists have relied on temporary driving licences after their licence card expired during the Covid-19 pandemic. This was exacerbated by a national licence card queue of more than a million cards as a result of the pandemic and a breakdown of the country’s only driving licence printing machine.<\/p>\n
Motorists in South Africa can apply for a temporary driving licence if they have applied for the renewal of their expired licence or have lost their driver’s licence. This licence is valid for a period of six months and can be issued at any driving licence testing centre (DLTC).<\/p>\n
Extensions and incentives<\/strong><\/p>\n Mbalula also reiterated that the government will not be extending the current licence grace period, but is considering offering a ‘bouquet of incentives’ to encourage the public to comply before the end of March deadline date.<\/p>\n At present there is no subsidy for the people who cannot afford to pay for the TDL, he said.<\/p>\n The minister has warned that motorists who continue to drive with expired licences beyond this date will face fines and possible prosecution.<\/p>\n The national Covid-19 lockdown imposed on the country in 2020 and 2021 forced licencing centres to close, resulting in a massive backlog of expired vehicle and driving licences.<\/p>\n This was compounded after the country\u2019s only licence printing machine broke down at the end of 2021, leaving approximately half a million motorists stuck with expired driving licence cards.<\/p>\n Mbalula had previously extended expired licences to 31 March 2022. This grace period covered all documents which expired in the period between 26 March 2020 and 31 August 2021.<\/p>\n
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