South African motorists may soon see the end of the country’s long-standing five-year driving licence renewal cycle, as Transport Minister Barbara Creecy has confirmed that the proposed extension to eight years remains on track.
The development follows renewed pressure from civil rights organisation AfriForum, which wrote to the minister in February urging the Department of Transport to honour its own policy timelines.
According to the department’s 2025/26 Annual Performance Plan, the proposal was expected to be submitted to Parliament by the end of the fourth quarter of the financial year, which concluded in March 2026.
In response, Creecy reportedly assured the organisation that a preliminary version of the amended regulation will soon be released for public comment.
Long-awaited reform after years of delays
The plan to extend the validity of licence cards from five years to eight has been under discussion for several years.
The proposal gained momentum following repeated failures of South Africa’s only driving licence card printer, an ageing machine that has become a major bottleneck in the renewal system.
The printer, which is more than two decades old, broke down multiple times during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, leading to significant backlogs.
In early 2025, another breakdown halted operations from February until May, creating a backlog of more than 700,000 outstanding cards.
This reignited calls from civil society groups and motorists for structural reform.
AfriForum and OUTA have both argued that extending the validity period would significantly ease pressure on the system.
Lower renewal demand could ease printing pressure
Supporters of the reform say an eight-year validity period would immediately reduce renewal demand and create breathing room for the department to modernise its systems.
It would also reduce the frequency with which motorists need to visit licensing centres, easing queues and administrative strain.
Minister Creecy previously stated that the department supports the extension in principle but had been conducting a cost-benefit analysis to assess the financial impact, particularly on the Driving Licence Card Account, which depends on renewal revenue.
The latest confirmation now suggests that the process is moving into its next regulatory phase.
If approved after public consultation and parliamentary processes, the change would mark one of the most significant administrative reforms in South Africa’s road transport system in years.
Source: Department of Transport, AfriForum, parliamentary planning documents.
