RTMC tasked with looking into licence renewal time frames

Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula says the process is already underway.

He says it should be completed by the end of this month.

"Various countries in the continent have renewal periods that range from two to five years and a number of other countries require renewal at anything from six to 15 years, while others have integrated the driving licence into their identity cards.

"The research will look at the correlation between the renewal period and safety on our roads and what factors should be taken into account if we are to revise the current 5-year validity period."  

READ: Grace period for expired driver's licences extended - Mbalula

OUTA has been lobbying the minister to extend South Africa's driving license validity period from five years to 10 years, saying it will help ease the massive backlog of expired licenses. 

On Friday morning,  Mbalula said the grace period for motorists whose driver's licences expired during the lockdown would be extended by another two weeks.

The deadline for renewals was Thursday. But those who missed it now have until the 15th of April to sort it out.

The minister says operating hours at the licensing centres will be extended.

He says the centres will also open over weekends.