Cape Town – In a pointed show of capability, civil rights group AfriForum set up a portable printer and laptop outside the Department of Transport’s head office in Pretoria on Tuesday, producing sample driver’s licence cards to draw attention to South Africa’s ongoing backlog crisis.
The demonstration sought to showcase the availability of local solutions to address the estimated 500,000 unprinted driver’s licence cards currently pending.
AfriForum spokesperson Louis Boshoff, who operated the printer, said the exercise was meant to highlight that “various options are already available locally that meet all the security feature requirements of licence cards and could eliminate the serious backlog.”
He added that the sample cards—made of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), similar to existing ID cards—prove the feasibility of local production to ease the crisis.
.@afriforum demonstreer druk van proef-bestuurderslisensies op voorstoep van Departement van Vervoer se hoofkantoor
Te midde van ’n reuseagterstand in die druk van bestuurderslisensiekaarte én jare se onvervulde beloftes van ’n nuwe lisensiekaartdrukker het AfriForum vandag ’n… pic.twitter.com/nqrKatJGuI
— AfriForum (@afriforum) September 16, 2025
Boshoff criticised the Department of Transport’s procurement delays, saying, “The department clearly does not have the will to eliminate the problems regarding the printing of licence cards – despite the fact that there are several local service providers available who have the necessary technology.”
The protest comes amid ongoing delays in government procurement processes. A previous tender process for the supply of new licence card printers identified the foreign company Idemia as the preferred bidder.
However, the award was put on hold after allegations of irregularities in other Idemia contracts came to light. An investigation was launched, but as of now, over nine months later, there has been no progress in acquiring new licence card printers.
Driver’s licence backlog:
Today, @afriforum printed sample driver’s licence cards in front of the Department of Transport’s head office to raise awareness about the government’s failure to issue driver’s licences efficiently.https://t.co/sZHYM951Rq pic.twitter.com/7EFSrfSrZ6— Kallie Kriel (@kalliekriel) September 16, 2025
AfriForum has made it clear that the demonstration is not just symbolic but a practical proof that local solutions exist and can be implemented immediately. As Boshoff stated,
“The department has the technology and the expertise available locally — what is missing is the will to act.
””With thousands of South Africans still waiting for their licence cards, the organisation is urging the Department of Transport to take immediate action, warning that continued delays will only deepen frustration and public distrust in service delivery. AfriForum says it will continue to monitor the situation and hold the department accountable until the backlog is resolved,” Boshoff said.
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Compiled by Lisabeal Nqamqhele
