Red flags for South Africa’s new driver’s licence plans

• The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has raised concerns that South Africa's plans to update driving licence cards may have hit a snag due to delays in the tender process.
• The tender process for the new driving licence cards has been ongoing since February 2026, with the Department of Home Affairs producing licence cards for the Department of Transport to address the renewal backlog.
• If the procurement process runs into trouble, the department's plans to issue new licence cards could be delayed further, potentially affecting the recent Cabinet-approved licence card validity extension.