By Thapelo Molefe
The National Department of Transport plans to amend road traffic regulations to prevent traffic register number (TRN) certificates, learner’s licences and driving licences from being used as general identification documents.
The proposed amendments to the National Road Traffic Regulations are aimed at tightening controls over the use of road traffic documents and aligning the regulations with the Identification Act, which gives the Department of Home Affairs responsibility for maintaining the National Population Register and issuing identification documents.
The department’s national spokesperson, Collen Msibi, said an investigation conducted in 2023, with assistance from Home Affairs, uncovered widespread abuse of TRNs and other road traffic documents used as identification.
The department said the TRN “was never intended to serve as general identification” but was created to allow people without South African identity numbers to conduct road traffic-related transactions on the National Traffic Information System while finalising their legal status with Home Affairs.
However, the investigation found that some institutions were accepting TRNs and driving licences as general identification documents, despite these documents not being intended for that purpose.
“The amendments are therefore necessary to remove legal ambiguity, stop abuse and align road traffic legislation with the Identification Act,” Msibi said.
Under the proposed amendments, acceptable identification for people who are not permanent residents of South Africa would be an unexpired passport from their country of origin, accompanied by the relevant permit issued by Home Affairs under the Immigration Act.
The amendments would also remove TRNs and other documents issued under road traffic legislation from the definition of acceptable identification.
Companies would be required to provide relevant incorporation or registration documents issued under the Companies Act, while companies converted from close corporations would use their certificates of incorporation.
The department also plans to introduce stricter requirements for TRN holders.
Under the proposed changes, anyone who obtains another acceptable identification document after being issued a TRN would have to notify the registering authority within 21 days and surrender their TRN certificate.
A TRN would also be valid only for the period covered by the passport and permit submitted when applying for it.
People holding TRN certificates that do not indicate an expiry period would have to apply for new certificates within three months after the amended regulations come into operation.
The department said institutions, including banks, Airports Company South Africa, offices and residential estates, would have to review their policies and systems once the amendments take effect.
TRNs, learner’s licences and driving licences would only be accepted for their intended road traffic-related purposes, while Home Affairs-issued documents would be required for general identification and verification.
“For identification and verification purposes, only Home Affairs-issued documents will be valid,” Msibi said.
The proposed amendments will be published in the Government Gazette for public comment. Interested parties and affected institutions will have 30 days from the date of publication to submit written comments.
The department said all submissions would be considered before the final regulations are published, with the commencement date to be announced in the Government Gazette.
In the interim, provincial authorities have been instructed to centralise the issuing of TRNs at provincial help desks to strengthen controls over the process.
INSIDE POLITICS
