Licence Chaos Hits Sa Again

South Africa is once again facing a licensing crisis after the country's only driver's licence card printer ground to a halt - a mechanical failure that's caused chaos across the nation and left tens of thousands of motorists without valid cards.

The decades-old machine, based at the Driving Licence Card Account DLCA in Pretoria, reportedly stopped working in February 2025, although internal sources claim the breakdown actually occurred a month earlier, in January. With the printer offline for months and no replacement in sight, provincial centres are stuck with a rapidly growing backlog and frustrated applicants, as first reported by BusinessTech .

In Cape Town alone, nearly 60 000 people have applied for new driving licence cards since the beginning of the year, yet not a single card has been delivered, according to Alderman JP Smith, the Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security. 'This is exactly what happened in 2022, and it's shameful that we're back here again three years later,' he said.

The Department of Transport DoT confirmed the issue, saying that the DLCA is working with the machine's sole supplier - a company based in France - to repair the faulty components. Spokesperson Collen Msibi said the department is looking at interim solutions to keep operations running but warned that repairs could take several weeks.

The problem lies with the machine's age. It was purchased 26 years ago and has suffered a staggering 159 breakdowns in its lifetime. Despite its repeated failures, the DoT has yet to secure a modern alternative or backup unit.