Great News for Driving Licences in South Africa

Things are looking up for South African motorists after Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, announced that the country’s driving licence backlog has been dramatically reduced.

The backlog, which peaked at roughly 800 000 outstanding licences just a few months ago, now sits at around 200 000 following intensive efforts by the department to speed up processing and printing.

Creecy said the improvement was the result of extended operating hours at testing centres, system upgrades, and faster card-production turnaround times. She emphasised that the department is committed to clearing the remaining backlog as quickly as possible, noting that progress over the past few months has been significant and encouraging.

In another development, sure to be welcomed by millions of motorists, Creecy confirmed that the government is actively considering extending the validity of driving licences from the current five years to eight years. She said the proposal is under review and that extending the renewal period would ease pressure on drivers, reduce congestion at licence testing centres, and modernise South Africa’s licensing system in line with international standards.

Further announcements are expected once the technical and legal assessments are complete.