South Africa's Cabinet Approves Extension of Driving Licence Validity Period

Minister in The Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni

Addressing members of the media in Pretoria on Thursday on the outcomes of Wednesday’s Cabinet meeting, Ntshavheni said the extension applies to Codes A, A1, B and EB, increasing the validity period from five to 10 years.

Heavy commercial and public transport vehicles will remain subject to the existing two-or five-year renewal cycles, while Professional Driving Permits will also remain on the two-year renewal cycle.

“The implementation of the extended validity period requires legislative amendments. Motorists must therefore continue to renew expired driving licence cards until the new law takes effect.

“The change aligns with international best practice, enhances administrative efficiency, reduces the frequency of renewals for motorists and eases service-demand pressures within the licensing system,” the Minister said.

Revised Electricity Pricing Policy

Cabinet also approved the publication of the Revised Electricity Pricing Policy for public comment. The policy strengthens the regulatory framework governing electricity prices, tariffs and charges.

The policy provides tariff transparency through the unbundling of tariffs across generation, transmission, distribution and retail activities. It also consolidates regulatory arrangements for electricity pricing across the various pricing interfaces between generators, traders, the National Transmission Company South Africa (NTCSA), and distributors.

It also establishes the framework through which these interfaces will be enabled and regulated by the National Energy Regulator of South Africa (NERSA).

Ntshavheni said the policy updates the 2008 Electricity Pricing Policy to reflect developments in the electricity supply industry, including ongoing market reforms arising from the unbundling of Eskom and the implementation of the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act, 2024.

“The policy supports the introduction of cost-reflective tariffs while protecting vulnerable users and strategic economic sectors,” the Minister said.

Meanwhile, government is set to publish the draft Electricity Sector Market Transformation Position Paper for public comment, following Cabinet’s approval.

“The position paper provides a framework to guide South Africa’s transition from a predominantly state-controlled electricity system to a more competitive electricity market, in line with the Electricity Regulation Amendment Act, 2024 and the Energy Action Plan.

“The proposed reforms seek to improve energy security and reliability by reducing reliance on a single electricity supplier and enabling greater participation in electricity generation and trading.

“The reforms are also aimed at attracting investment in electricity generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure supporting job creation and economic growth, and reducing electricity costs over the long term,” Ntshavheni said.

-SAnews.gov.za