High Court rules driving licence card machines tender as unlawful

The North Gauteng High Court has declared the tender for new driving licence card machines unlawful, ordering the Department of Transport to cancel and re-advertise it within 30 days.
 
The court ruled that the appointment of Idemia as the preferred bidder was irregular, unlawful, and invalid following concerns raised by the Auditor-General (AG).

The AG report identified multiple instances of non-compliance with the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA), Treasury regulations, the department of licensing’s own processes.

It also found that the bid evaluation committee deviated from the criteria specifications when awarding the tender to the French company.

In a statement, Transport Minister Barbara Creecy welcomed the ruling, saying it vindicates the department’s decision to approach the court in the interest of transparency and clean governance.
 
To prevent disruptions, the court has allowed the department to temporarily outsource the printing and issuing of licence cards to the Department of Home Affairs, while a new service provider is sought.
 
The ruling follows months of delays caused by a breakdown of the licence card printing machine early last year. The backlog was only cleared in December when 2.2 million cards were eventually printed.
 
Meanwhile, the government has also approved a prototype licence card developed by the Government Printing Works, with the Cabinet expected to consider the proposal as part of a longer-term solution.