Former Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula at a visit to the facility where driver’s licences are printed. Image: Twitter/@Dotransport/Screenshot.
SA searching for new driving licence card printers – tender closes today
The transport department’s tender for new licence printers closes on Friday. The new system will have a backup.
Former Transport Minister, Fikile Mbalula at a visit to the facility where driver’s licences are printed. Image: Twitter/@Dotransport/Screenshot.
The Department of Transport is looking to procure new driving licence printers and the tender closes on Friday, 5 May.
READ: SA’s only driving licence card printing machine out of action AGAIN
Outdated licence printing machine breaks down again
As previously reported, the country’s only driving licence card printer recently broke down after routine maintenance and will be down for at least two to three weeks because the replacement part needs to come from overseas.
The last time the printer broke down the licence backlog grew and frustrated South Africans learned there was only one machine of its kind in the country.
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However, the Department of Transport insists this breakdown will not affect licence production and encouraged the public to apply for their cards as per usual.
According to TimesLive, the tender for new printers closes on Friday. This round of bids was the second attempt to procure a new service provider.
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TimesLive reported that the tender was last advertised on 11 November and it closed a little over a month later – it was not awarded and there were no successful bidders.
The Department said the country’s only driving licence card printer has always produced South Africa’s card as if the production was decentralised it would further expose the system to corruption.
“Similar to the printing of money, once you decentralise such a function, you are opening a back door for criminal elements,” said Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi to TimesLive.
The new printers will have biometric data, holograms, and other safety features. Importantly, the new system will have a back-up.
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