Driving licence card-printing machine breaks down again

04 May 2023 - 10:49
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The only driving licence manaufacturing machine has broken down. File photo.
The only driving licence manaufacturing machine has broken down. File photo.
Image: Fikile Mbalula via Twitter

The machine that produces driving licence cards has broken down.

This was revealed by the department of transport on Wednesday, which said it could take up to three weeks to fix.

The department said the machine broke down after routine maintenance last month.

“The department of transport has today reassured members of the public that the production of driving licence cards will not be affected by the routine maintenance of the card production machine,” said the department’s spokesperson Collen Msibi.

“The department has therefore encouraged members of the public to continue applying for their driving licence cards.

“The routine maintenance [took place from] April 5 to 19. Thereafter, the technical team encountered a technical breakdown, which requires a replacement of a critical part from the original equipment manufacturer.”

It was anticipated the resumption of card production would commence within the next two to three weeks, Msibi added.

Last year, motorists doing licence renewal applications suffered major backlogs when the more than two-decades-old machine had to go to Germany for repairs.

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