A public participation process will be conducted before the new license plate system is introduced in the state. Gauteng residents will now be able to air their complaints against the system.
Lefty Shivambu/Gallo image
- A public participation process will take place before the new number plate system is introduced in Gauteng.
- Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has retracted his comments about the introduction of the new system in April.
- Trials are scheduled to begin to test the technology.
- For more financial news, visit: News24 Business top page.
Gauteng residents will be able to raise concerns about the proposed compulsory introduction of new high-tech number plates in the province through a public consultation process before the rollout goes ahead.
This is what Lesiba Mpya Lesiba, spokesperson for the Gauteng Road Transport Authority, told News24, adding there was still a long way to go if number plates were to be introduced.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi said at an event in early February that residents will be forced to apply for new high-tech number plates from April this year.
“Starting April 1, Gauteng will be renewing its motor vehicle registration numbers for all cars. Friends, we are starting afresh. Everyone who owns a car will have to re-register and get a new registration number that cannot be copied. 'You have to do it,' it can't be deleted and it's reliable,” Lesufi said.
Read | Gauteng motorists must apply for new high-tech number plates immediately
He said the new license plates will be tamper-proof, allow authorities to detect if someone has crossed the border, and feature a QR code that law enforcement officers can scan to identify a vehicle's true owner. I explained that there was.
A week later, in his Gauteng State Address on February 19, Lesufi retracted his comments about the introduction date and said number plates would be introduced on some government vehicles on April 1 as part of a trial. did.
He said the National Department of Transport had developed legislation for the “harmonization of national plates” which includes the technology being tested on Gauteng plates.
Mr Mupiah said number plate technology would be “tried out” during the trial run.
“We will start with a few hundred vehicles and expand to thousands next year,” he said.
He explained that a strong public participation process will be conducted before the new plate features are signed into law.
“We will continue to participate with the people throughout the legislative process,” he said.
“In our engagement with other stakeholders, we expect strong engagement on this process. There will be questions that will be raised on this issue.”
Mupiah said if the trial is successful and the rollout goes ahead in earnest, people will need to follow the rule of law and change their number plates.
He also provided details on how the system will work.
Mupiah said citizens will need to apply for new number plates when applying for license disc renewal. It is possible to apply before this date, but you must start the process when you apply for your license disc.
He also said that vehicles staying in the state for more than 30 days will be forced to switch to the new license plate system.
It is not clear where and how the number plate will be attached to the vehicle, but given the fact that the number plate is considered to be tamper-proof, it is unlikely that the owner will be able to install the disc himself. There is no doubt that this is the case.
Third-party license disc application platforms contacted by News24 are confident that their operations will not be significantly impacted by the license plate changes.
Spar Group spokesperson Mpudi Maubane said the company did not expect the in-store license disc application process to be affected by the change.
“Currently, we are not experiencing any system issues in our stores, and we do not anticipate any issues in the future.”
He said: “Participating stores will be notified of pending legislative amendments in 2023 and once the amendments are implemented, the system will automatically issue a new Gauteng plate number, providing a seamless and hassle-free experience for customers. “I will.”
Spar cannot issue physical license plates to customers.
Andre Botes, co-founder of Disky, a WhatsApp-based license disc update platform, said his company is preparing to help if the new license plate system comes into force.
“We are preparing to expedite that process once this becomes law and goes into effect.
He said: “I don't know whether that process has to be done in person at the licensing office or whether it can be done through a WhatsApp service like Disky.”