South Africa to introduce smart driving licences in 2023

South Africa’s Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula has announced that new smart card driving licences will be introduced in October 2023. Existing cards will be phased out over a five-year period. The Minister added that the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) was in the process of selecting a design that would ensure security and ease of use. Stakeholders such as the Automobile Association have urged the government to ensure that the new licences are easily accessible to drivers and that their validity period is not too short.