High Court declares driving licence card machine tender irregular
The High Court in Pretoria has set aside Idemia South Africa’s appointment as the preferred bidder for a R898 million contract to supply a new driving licence card machine.
On Tuesday, the court declared the tender to be irregular, invalid, unlawful, and unenforceable.
The Department of Transport has been ordered to re-advertise the tender within 30 days.
In the meantime, the department will temporarily outsource the printing and issuing of driving licence cards to the Department of Home Affairs.
The ruling follows the Auditor-General's findings, which identified serious irregularities in the tender process.
The AG stated that the contract did not follow the required procurement processes or comply with the policies of the Public Finance Management Act.
The French technology firm was appointed in August 2024.
Transport Minister Barbara Creecy welcomed the court's ruling, describing it as a vindication.
"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,” she said.
From 8 May to 8 December 2025, 2 239 456 driving license cards were printed by the DLCA.
On 9 December 2025, the Driving Licence Card Account (DLCA) agency said it had cleared the backlog of driving license cards that had been outstanding for printing since the printing machine breakdown between February and May 2025.
Meanwhile, the State Security Agency has approved the prototype driving licence card designed by the Government Printing Works.
A Cabinet process will soon be undertaken to seek approval of the new card design.
