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Big change proposed for car licence discs in South Africa
Automobile Association CEO Bobby Ramagwede is calling for annual roadworthiness tests to be made compulsory in South Africa, adding that it should be made a requirement for renewing a vehicle licence disc.
Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Ramagwede explained that pushing the message of improving driver behaviour isn’t enough to address road fatalities in the country.
This comes after transport minister Barbara Creecy revealed road fatality statistics for the 2024/25 festive season.
She reported that there were 1,502 deaths on South Africa’s roads over the period, representing a 5.3% year-on-year increase, or 70 more fatalities than recorded in 2023/24.
While the minister focused on driver behaviour, including speeding, reckless driving, and driving under the influence, she also noted that 16,527 were found to be unroadworthy.
Ramagwede agrees that the roadworthiness of vehicles on South African roads must be addressed urgently.
“I think efforts are being made in a scattered fashion. We need to address a lot more than just the message on driving behaviour,” said Ramagwede.
“We need to take into account that there are infrastructure components and equipment components.”
“A comment was made about the roadworthiness of vehicles. Quite frankly, vehicles should be checked for roadworthiness and mechanical soundness on an annual basis. These are things that should not just emerge at a roadblock,” he added.
He explained that one way to achieve this would be to standardise roadworthiness tests and make them part of legislation.
“Every year, motorists have to update their vehicle licences. Part and parcel of that update should be a roadworthiness test, otherwise your vehicle is not legal for road use,” said Ramagwede.
He also explained that more can be done to protect pedestrians on South Africa’s roads. However, this could require a significant redesign of the country’s road infrastructure.
Creecy reported that pedestrian fatalities contributed to 41% of the 1,502 deaths on the country’s roads over the festive season.
Barbara Creecy, South African Minister of Transport
According to Ramagwede, this is because South Africa’s roads are designed primarily for freight and motorists rather than accommodating pedestrians.
“We sit with legacy road infrastructure that caters really to motorists and heavy motor vehicles. Pedestrians have been less included in that design,” he said.
“Going forward: what we should consider is designing roads that cater for more inclusive and more accessible mobility.”
Creecy’s report revealed that KwaZulu-Natal had the highest number of festive season road fatalities in 2024/25. Ramagwede said this, too, has to do with road design.
“KwaZulu-Natal is riddled with low-visibility instances. Most of it is really attributable to road design again,” he said.
“We have specific roads that have high-speed limits and high turns, and these roads allow for multiple vehicle types without barriers separating them.”
Regarding the issue of driver behaviour, Creecy reported that nearly 1,000 roadblocks were conducted on South African roads over the festive season, through which officers issued 7,100 fines.
Authorities also clamped down on speeding, drunken driving, and other violations, with more than 9,550 motorists being arrested, 3,840 of whom were arrested for drunken driving.
Ramagwede believes conducting regular roadblocks is a step in the right direction.
“Visibility is a step in the right direction. It’s all good and well but we know its sparsely spread across the road network, so you’re likely to honour the rules of the road the moment you see visible policing,” he said.
“I think the next step is to ensure that when we prosecute, we actually prosecute.”
source:Big change proposed for car licence discs in South Africa – MyBroadband
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