Millions of traffic records under scrutiny as South Africa proposes tougher ID rules

Pretoria – South Africa’s Department of Transport is proposing stricter regulations that would prevent driving licences, learner’s licences and Traffic Register Number (TRN) certificates from being used as general identification documents, following investigations into alleged irregularities in the country’s traffic registration system.

The proposed amendments to the National Road Traffic Regulations aim to address the misuse of traffic-related documents, strengthen identity verification and align transport legislation with the Identification Act, according to The Citizen.

“The TRN was created solely to enable persons without a South African identity number to transact on the National Traffic Information System (NaTIS) for road traffic purposes,” the department said, as quoted by the report.

“It was never intended to serve as general identification.”

The changes follow a 2023 investigation conducted with assistance from the Department of Home Affairs, which uncovered concerns about the issuance and use of TRNs.

Irregularities

More than 1.07 million TRNs issued between January 2000 and July 2023 were checked against Home Affairs databases. Only 29,653 recipients, representing 2.7%, matched the National Immigration Identification System, while 747,350 records could not be matched against the Visa Adjudication System, the report said.

The government has already taken steps to address irregularities. According to the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS), dormant TRNs issued between January 2000 and June 2023 were targeted for verification and cancellation, with unverified dormant numbers cancelled from 4 September 2026.

Under the proposed amendments, foreign nationals who are not permanent residents would need to present a valid passport from their country of origin and the relevant permit issued by Home Affairs for identification purposes.

TRN holders who obtain another acceptable identification document would be required to notify the registering authority within 21 days and surrender their TRN certificates. The proposals also seek to tie TRN validity to the expiry dates of the passports and permits used to obtain them.

Foreign nationals 

The South African government’s official guidance explains that TRNs enable foreign nationals without South African identity numbers to conduct legitimate road-related transactions, including vehicle registration and licensing. The proposed changes are therefore aimed at tightening oversight rather than eliminating the system’s legitimate transport-related purpose.

The amendments are separate from another major licensing reform: the planned extension of driving licence card validity from five to 10 years for motorcycle and light motor vehicle categories A1, A, B and EB.

According to MyBroadband, the 10-year validity proposal is intended to reduce renewal frequency and ease pressure on licensing centres. Heavy vehicle licence cards would remain valid for five years, while professional driving permits would retain their two-year renewal cycle.

The proposed identification amendments are expected to be published for public comment, with affected parties required to submit written representations within 30 days of publication in the Government Gazette.

The Department of Transport says the changes are necessary to “remove legal ambiguity, stop abuse and align road traffic legislation with the Identification Act”, The Citizen reported.

The proposals form part of broader government efforts to improve the integrity of South Africa’s traffic registration system and prevent the misuse of official documents.