Driver’s licence renewal: DA wants heads to roll over irregularities in R898m tender

The Democratic Alliance (DA) has urged Transport Minister Barbara Creecy to publicly disclose the full details regarding the irregularities in the R898 million tender for driver’s licence card machines. 

The tender was awarded to French company Idemia Security in 2024 which sparked an outrage including from political parties. Earlier this week, Creecy confirmed that the Auditor-General Tsakani Maluleke identified several irregularities in the tender evaluation process which prompted her [Creecy] to approach the High Court for a clarity order. 

ROLL OUT OF SA’S NEW DRIVER’S LICENCE CARD HITS ANOTHER SNAG 

In an interview with Newzroom Afrika, Creecy said that the Department of Transport has not spent any money to roll out the new driver’s licences and that if her Department were to do so, it would be classed as irregular expenditure due to the inconsistencies found in the tender process, TopAuto reported. 

She emphasised that the Public Finance Management Act makes it an offence for an accounting officer to authorise spending where the AG is indicating that there is irregularity. 

The DA said the Auditor-General’s full report on this issue has not been made public, and without its release, the root cause of the serious procurement non-compliance remains concealed and cannot be properly addressed.

The party’s spokesperson on Transport, Chris Hunsinger said it is well and good that Creecy has taken the tender contract to court for a declaratory order, but that will only address the procedural irregularities or legalities of the end contract, and will not deal with why such a crucial tender had to be turned over to the Auditor-General for investigation in the first place.

Hunsinger said the DA calls for the full report of the Auditor-General, not just a summary, to be made public by Minister Creecy, so that the full facts can be known and can be acted upon.

“The issues in the driving license card machines tender clearly indicate systemic mismanagement and corruption plaguing the Department of Transport for years, which must be addressed.

“The driving license card issue is not an isolated incident, but yet another example of the inefficiencies and failures that have caused significant delays and frustration within the country’s licensing system. Creecy must take South Africa into her confidence and disclose the root cause of the tender issue: Who and what caused the serious procurement non-compliance, and what irregularities were found to have occurred?”

WHY HAS THE ROLL OUT BEEN DELAYED?

As previously reported by The South African, on 30 August 2022, Cabinet gave the Department of Transport the go-ahead to produce a new driving licence card for the country. 

The Department then began its first attempt to source a service provider to deliver a turnkey solution.

The above bid was advertised on 10 November 2022. This bid process was unsuccessful, so it was re-advertised on 5 April 2023.

In August 2024, Idemia Identity and Security was awarded the tender and the following month, Creecy instructed the AG to probe the evaluation process. As things stand, the process to roll out new driver’s licence cards is likely to be put on hold.

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE DELAY IN ROLLING OUT THE NEW DRIVER’S LICENCE IN SOUTH AFRICA?

Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1.

Subscribe to The South African website’s newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.