South Africa: Transport On Amendments to the Regulation On Number Plates

As part of regulating and commissioning of motorised vehicle number plates in South Africa, the Department of Transport embarked on a process to standardise as well as improve the security features of the South African motor vehicle number plate.

On 28 January 2015, the Department of Transport published in the government gazette draft Regulation Amendments intending to effect changes to the motor vehicle number plates. Through the notice, the South African public was invited to make objections, inputs and comments as part of the public consultation process.

The department, through MinMec, is considering inputs informed by the public consultation process as well as research and expert submissions to the department. To this end, the department’s internal discussions and consultation process on the matter are ongoing.

At the end of the departmental consultation process, the matter will be presented to Cabinet.

The operability of the current South African number plate is prone to abuse by unregistered number plate manufacturers. Equally, the system in its current form is also taken advantage of by criminals who clone vehicles and commit other forms of crime.

As part of the new improvements to our number plates, the regulations will ensure that manufacturers are regulated to ensure that we can account for every motor vehicle number plate that is issued through coding.

On the issue of standardisation, MinMec is currently considering various options including the use of the national flag as well Provincial Coat of Arms to improve on road safety.

The security features of the numbers plates are also part of the broad road safety strategy, which will ensure that we have the right vehicles on our roads, which to a larger extent contribute to the road fatalities and carnages on our roads.

Source: South African Government.

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