Free State motorists will have to be even more patient in waiting to receive their driving licence cards after renewal.
The countrywide waiting period for the delivery of new cards is now three months.
According to Hillary Mophethe, spokesperson for the Free State Department of Transport, the long wait is due to a backlog in the production of these cards.
She said that initially the turnaround time for production and delivery had been between a month and six weeks.
“Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and other challenges, the waiting period increased to three months,” Mophete said.
The breakdown of the machine used in the production of the entire country’s driving licence cards in November last year is among the challenges experienced.
The waiting period applies to all candidates – those who renewed their drivers licence, as well as first-time recipients.
Temporary licences will be valid for the duration of the waiting period until the delivery of new cards.
Candidates with expired driving licence cards are warned that action will be taken if they are found to be driving without valid documentation.
Meanwhile, Mophethe has explained that the allocation of fewer till payments at testing centres during the renewal of driving licence cards was due to the slow speed of the network. This has since been upgraded to speed up the process.
During the grace period granted for the renewal of licences, motorists lamented slow-paced service at various traffic centres. In Bloemfontein this was evident until the very last minute before the deadline on 5 May, with long queues snaking outside the Free State Lengau Testing and Traffic Centre.
