Department of transport has increased the licence renewal grace period for all the licences that expired between 26 March 2021 and 31 August 2021 to 15 April 2022. This follows the backlog that was experienced by licence holders following the Corona virus global pandemic.

Drivers licence holders who are yet to renew their diver’s licences are urged to use this extended time effectively and do the renewal of their licences as they would not be further grace period extension.

Department of transport in a media statement stated that “We urge all those who have yet to renew their driving licences not to delay any further and take advantage of the additional capacity we have provided and the online services. Those who apply for renewal of their driving licence cards before the expiry date are permitted to usethe expired cardfor a period of 3 months provided that they have in their possession the expired card and the receipt in the vehicle at all times. This is a provision that is contained in our National Road Traffic Regulations.”

Department of transport further acknowledged that the biggest challenge the uare facing is the capacity of their DLTCs to cope with the lastminute influx of motorists who want to renew their driving licences. Trends demonstrate that the majority of motorists wait until the last minute to renew their driving licences. This places the DLTCs under severe pressure.

Transport department further went on to state that they are working closely with Provinces and Municipalities to bring their collective capacity to bear in order to ensure that the system is able to respond to the demand and does not buckle under pressure. The same is true for the online services the RTMC has introduced to minimise the time motorists spend in queues at the DLTC.