Driver’s licence card printing machine broken — again
driving licence card
South Africa’s printing machine for driving licences has broken down again, and will only be back in service in about three weeks time.
Spokesperson for the Department of Transport Collen Msibi said the machine broke down after undergoing routine maintenance last month.
“The routine maintenance started on 5 April 2023 to 19 April 2023. Thereafter the technical team encountered a technical breakdown which required a replacement of a critical part from the original equipment manufacturer (OEM),” Msibi said.
“It is anticipated that the resumption of card production shall commence within the next 2 to 3 weeks.”
The production of driving licence cards is anticipated to resume in the next two to three weeks.
“The Department of Transport has today reassured members of the public that the production of driving licence cards will not be affected by the routine maintenance of the card production machine,” Msibi added.
“The department has therefore encouraged members of the public to continue applying for their driving licence card as normal.”
In January last year, then Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula said the “old and outdated” machine had broken down and was undergoing repairs in Germany, and it caused a major backlog for driving licences.
In October, he said machine was back in service.