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The department of transport has announced that the driving licence card production machine is back in full production, marking a significant step towards addressing the backlog of cards.
The machine had been temporarily taken out of production for three weeks in May due to a broken part that was discovered during routine maintenance.
According to the department's spokesperson, Collen Msibi, after the replacement of the faulty part, the machine underwent two weeks of testing before being certified to resume full production.
This development is expected to double the production capacity from the previous three weeks, during which only 60 000 cards were produced, to approximately 120 000 cards per week.
READ: WATCH | SA's mega licence card printing machine is back. Will it reel in the backlog?
Msibi further revealed that the machine had an impressive track record, printing an average of 2 850 000 cards per year in the past two financial years.
Since its inception in 1998, it has successfully printed over 60 million driving licence cards, serving countless motorists across the country.
However, the temporary suspension of production has resulted in a backlog of 350 000 cards over the past five weeks, depending on the volume of orders received.
READ: Fines for expired licence cards may be unconstitutional, Afriforum argues in court papers
To tackle this backlog, the department has devised a catch-up plan that aims to clear it entirely by the end of August 2023.
Looking to the future, Msibi disclosed that the Department is currently working on the implementation of a new driving licence card, which was approved by Cabinet in August 2022.
The introduction of this new card, scheduled to launch before the end of the current financial year, will also entail the replacement of the current machine with new card production machines.
The upgrade not only signals a fresh era in the driving licence card environment but also holds the promise of improved efficiency and service delivery to citizens.
The DA has previously called for a decentralisation of card printing. In a statement after the machine broke, the party said the department must immediately decentralise the printing process to reduce turnaround time for new driving licences.
The DA said:
"A practical and risk-mitigating solution would involve providing each province with its own machine, ensuring sufficient backup in case of future breakdowns."
