Driving license renewal: New problems with the country’s only license printing machine highlights the necessity of AfriForum’s upcoming court case

The country’s only license printing machine is once again out of order. This news again emphasises the merits and necessity of AfriForum’s court case later this year, which deals with the expiry of driver’s license cards. According to the Department of Transport, the machine broke down due to a technical problem that requires a part to be replaced by the original manufacturer.

AfriForum will be in the High Court in Pretoria on 7 and 8 August to demand, among other things, a declaratory order stating that the five-year validity period of driving licenses is unconstitutional and that all fines issued for expired licenses are unconstitutional.

According to Ernst van Zyl, Campaign Officer for Strategy and Content at AfriForum, the least the government can do is to grant a grace period for those who are now again victims of the government’s poor planning.

“This inept government doesn’t even have the foresight to invest in a second printing machine for license cards. I find it hard to believe that the global supply of this essential piece of equipment is at zero. These and other aggravating circumstances are precisely why AfriForum is once again standing up for the public in August to save motorists from this circus. Make your voice heard with us at www.nodriversexpiry.co.za,” concludes Van Zyl.