AfriForum asked its legal team to send a lawyer’s letter to the department shortly after the initial statement, requesting that the grace period be extended.
The massive backlog, according to Reiner Duvenage, campaign officer: strategy and content AfriForum, was caused by a number of delays at the department in the first place.
“Although this announcement brings temporary relief to motorists, it is not the solution to the deep-rooted and systemic problems at the department,” said Duvenage.
The department stated that it is on schedule to produce excellent driver’s license cards.
“The bottleneck experienced between November 2021 and January 2022 will be cleared off by April 2022. The renewal backlog that was experienced because of the Covid-19 pandemic grace period will be cleared off by September 2022,” the department said.
In due course, the following regulation will take effect: “Motorists who apply to renew their driver’s license cards before March 31, 2022, will have their licenses valid for an additional three months if they have their previous driver’s license cards.” They must also provide proof of payment of costs for the renewal application in the form of a receipt.
“The regulation is also applicable to those who have applied to renew their driving licence cards since February 25, 2022, and before the end of the grace period of March 31, 2022. Their driving licence cards will also be valid for a further period of three months.”
If you apply after the expiration date, you’ll have to apply for a temporary driver’s license, according to the agency.
“Motorists are therefore encouraged to apply to renew their driving licence cards before the expiry date to avoid incurring any possible additional costs,” said the department.
Meanwhile, the government said that, after the resolution of a recent dispute between driving schools, Driver Licensing and Testing Centres (DLTCs) are now fully operational and ready to assist the public.
