{"id":102980,"date":"2026-01-03T12:12:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-03T10:12:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=102980"},"modified":"2026-01-03T12:13:29","modified_gmt":"2026-01-03T10:13:29","slug":"drivers-licence-validity-extension-eight-year-proposal-awaits-final-approval","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/drivers-licence-validity-extension-eight-year-proposal-awaits-final-approval\/","title":{"rendered":"Driver\u2019s licence validity extension: Eight-year proposal awaits final approval"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a> <\/em>
\n3-minute read | 30 December 2025<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"

\ud83d\udcf8 The move to extend driver\u2019s licence validity to eight years is progressing, but final approval is still awaited.<\/p><\/div>\n

The proposed extension of South Africa\u2019s driver\u2019s licence card validity period from five to eight years is gaining traction, but final approval remains pending, with administrative delays and policy considerations still in play.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Radio Islam International<\/em><\/a>, Advocate Stefanie Fick, Executive Director of the Accountability Division at OUTA, said while the Department of Transport appears to be moving in the right direction, the change is not yet official. \u201cI can\u2019t say it\u2019s a done deal because it is the minister that must publish that government gazette,\u201d Fick explained, adding that the minister has indicated a desire to take the matter to Parliament after reviewing further research.<\/p>\n

The proposal includes a possible caveat: the extension may not apply to heavy vehicle drivers or those transporting passengers, such as taxi operators. Fick questioned whether this distinction alone would meaningfully improve road safety. \u201cGetting the death tolls on our roads down is a multi-pronged approach,\u201d she said, noting that frequent licence renewals do not necessarily test future driving competence.<\/p>\n

Instead, she highlighted other critical factors, including vehicle roadworthiness and infrastructure. \u201cA taxi needs to go every year to test the roadworthiness of their vehicles and we know that some of the taxis are not in a very good condition,\u201d she said, also pointing to the poor state of many roads and the prevalence of fraudulently obtained licences.<\/p>\n

From OUTA\u2019s perspective, extending the validity period is particularly important for ordinary motorists given persistent administrative failures. \u201cEvery time [the licence card machine] is out of order, there\u2019s chaos,\u201d Fick said, referring to long queues and mounting backlogs. She noted that international research shows many countries have validity periods far longer than South Africa\u2019s, with the global average sitting at around ten years.<\/p>\n

Fick added that previous extensions during the COVID-19 period did not lead to an increase in road fatalities, undermining arguments that shorter validity periods are essential for safety. \u201cExtending the validity is sort of the norm,\u201d she said, emphasising that it would ease pressure on an already strained system.<\/p>\n

Questions have also been raised about delays in publishing the draft notice for public comment. Fick expressed scepticism but not alarm. \u201cI really just think it\u2019s the department that is unable to keep their own timeline,\u201d she said, suggesting that no announcement should be expected before the end of next year.<\/p>\n

Addressing concerns that the delay may be linked to lost revenue from fewer renewals, Fick was blunt: \u201cGovernment is not supposed to make money.\u201d She stressed that licence fees should reflect costs, not profit, and said any profit-driven approach should be challenged.<\/p>\n

While uncertainty remains, Fick urged patience, saying the minister has requested comprehensive research to \u201capply her mind\u201d properly. For now, motorists continue to wait, hopeful that the long-discussed reform will finally materialise.<\/p>\n

Listen<\/strong> to the full interview on Your World Today<\/em><\/a> with Annisa Essack and Advocate Stefanie Fick.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read | 30 December 2025 The proposed extension of South Africa\u2019s driver\u2019s licence card validity period from five to eight years is gaining traction, but final approval remains pending, with administrative delays and policy considerations still in play. Speaking to Radio Islam International, Advocate Stefanie Fick, Executive Director of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":102981,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-102980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DoTs.jpg?fit=520%2C392&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-qMY","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-17 00:20:05","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=102980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/102980\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/102981"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=102980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=102980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=102980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}