Transport on High Court declaratory order on the driving license card tender appointment

The Minister of Transport, Ms. Barbara Creecy and the Transport Deputy Minister, Mr. Mkhuleko Hlengwa, have welcomed the High Court's declaratory order that sets aside the appointment of IDEMIA as a preferred bidder for the Driving License Card Machines tender.

On 6 January 2026, the Gauteng North High Court declared that the tender was irregular, invalid, unlawful and unenforceable.

Consequently:

• The tender has been set aside by the court.
• The Department has been ordered to re-advertise the tender within 30 days.
• Pending the appointment of a successful service provider under the re-advertised tender, the Department has also been allowed by the court to outsource the services of printing and issuing of driving license (cards) to the Department of Home Affairs.

The court’s declaratory order is based on the Department’s court application following the findings of the AGSA that pointed out irregularities in the tender process.

Reacting to the court’s declaratory order, Minister Creecy stated that the court outcome is a vindication of the Department’s commitment to the transparency and legitimacy of tender processes with the decision to approach the court for guidance on the matter as a necessary step for effective regulation.

Backlog

Meanwhile, on 9 December 2025, the Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) agency cleared the backlog of driving license cards that were outstanding for printing following the breakdown of the printing machine from February to May 2025. As a result, from 8 May to 8 December 2025, 2 239 456 driving license cards were printed by the DLCA.

Update on the interim solution

The State Security Agency has approved the prototype driving licence card designed by the Government Printing Works (GPW).
The establishment of the network connection between the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) and GPW was successfully tested. This will allow the transfer of data/files required by GPW to print the driving license cards.

A Cabinet process will soon be undertaken to sought Cabinet approval of the prototype card design.

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Collen Msibi
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