Issued by: Ministry of Transport
NEWS RELEASE: BUREAU SERVICE FOR THE PRODUCTION OF CREDIT CARD FORMAT DRIVING LICENCES 27 September 1996
Subsequent to the promulgation of the compulsory carrying of the driving licence, the Department of Transport has continually received requests for a more convenient format of driving licence instead of the identity document. Furthermore, the different formats of driving licences and the large number of codes of licences issued in the RSA and former TBVC states and selfgoverning territories has made the issued of a new format driving licence and rationalisation of licence codes a matter or urgency.
Following an extensive tender adjudication process the State Tender Board has awarded the Contract for the bureau service for the supply and personalisation of driving licence cards, subject to some standard contractual requirements, to Image Database Technologies (Pty) Ltd (IDT). IDT is a member of the Denel group of companies, with 24,95% shareholding each by IDMATICS (a subsidiary of THOMSON-CSF) from France and Nkobi Holdings (a black owned and managed company) from South Africa. The card production technology will be provided by IDMATICS and the fingerprint verification technology will be provided by SAGEM/MORPHO from France. The estimated Contract value amounts to R264 million over a production period of 5 years. The cost per card will be covered by the issuing fee for a driving licence card.
The production of driving licence cards will commence in approximately 12 months time and will be phased in over a period of 5 years in order to replace all existing South African driving licences. More than 11 million cards will have to be produced in this period.
In order to ensure that the document does not deteriorate beyond and acceptable level without the holder having applied for the replacement thereof, and to ensure that the photograph reflected on the document continues to resemble the holder, all documents will have a validity period of 5 years and the holder thereof would have to apply for the re-issue of the driving licence card every 5 years. In terms of the Road Traffic Act, 1989, a PrDP will be valid for a period of 2 years and be re-issued to successful applicants.
The exact design in respect of the artwork, colour, layout and integrity features of the driving licence cards still need to be finalised but will be based on the layout aproved by the Ministers of Transport from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states.
ISSUED BY THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT 27 SEPTEMBER 1996
Enquiries: Mr H F van Tonder Tel: (012) 230 2389.