SA’s Only License Printer Repaired

South Africa’s Only Driver’s License Printing Machine is Repaired and Ready for Full-Scale Production

South Africa’s National Department of Transport has announced that the country’s only driver’s license printing machine, which experienced a backlog, has been successfully repaired and is now prepared for full-scale production.

Initially, the department had informed the public that the machine would undergo repairs for a period of three weeks. However, there were unforeseen delays in returning the machine to operation, resulting in a total repair duration of five weeks.

According to spokesperson Collen Msibi, the delays were primarily caused by the extensive testing conducted on the machine after the replacement of a part. It took an additional two weeks to ensure that the machine was fully functional and certified for full production.

Despite the delays, there is positive news as the department plans to increase the production of driver’s license cards. Msibi stated, “We will see an increase in production from the 60,000 cards produced over the past three weeks during the testing period to about 120,000 cards per week.”

Over the past two financial years, the printing machine has averaged an output of 2.8 million cards annually. Since its commissioning in 1998, it has successfully printed over 60 million driver’s license cards in the country.

Currently, there is a backlog of 350,000 cards accumulated over the past five weeks. Msibi assured the public that measures are being taken to address this backlog through a catch-up plan, with the aim of clearing it by the end of August 2023.

Additionally, the department is in the process of introducing a new driver’s license card, as approved by the cabinet in August 2022. Msibi confirmed that the new card will be launched before the end of the current financial year and will be accompanied by new card production machines to replace the existing one.

“This signifies a new era in the driver’s license card environment,” Msibi concluded.

Source: Rekord