Appointment of French company to print new driving licence cards is suspicious – AfriForum

Appointment of French company to print new driving licence cards is suspicious – AfriForum

AfriForum has submitted two applications to the Department of Transport under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to obtain critical information regarding the procurement process for the new smart driving licence cards.

This comes as the Department of Transport appointed IDEMIA Identity and Security as the preferred bidder to produce the new cards. The appointment was approved on 8 August.

AFRIFORUM WEIGHS IN ON NEW SMART DRIVING LICENCE CARDS PREFERRED BIDDER

Last week, Department of Transport spokesperson Collen Msibi said IDEMIA is expected to enter into a service-level agreement with the department soon, following its work to establish the infrastructure and systems. 

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He added that more information about the timeframes will be made available to the public once the service agreement has been signed.
 
“The new licence card will incorporate new security features to eliminate the ever-increasing risks of fraudulent and counterfeit driving licences. Considering the cost drivers of producing the driving licence and the risk of fraud and corruption, the new driving licence will continue to be manufactured centrally.,” he explained.

AfriForum says the local branch of the French multinational company was awarded the contract of an alleged R898 million without disclosing any details regarding the four other bidders or information regarding the department’s decision-making process. 

The organisation said there are several reasons why the appointment of IDEMIA arouses suspicion, as this company’s contract with the Airports Company of South Africa (ACSA) was recently suspended and is currently being investigated for irregularities.

“A contract between IDEMIA and the Congolese government, worth $1,2 billion, was also suspended in the past month due to so-called ‘flagrant overpricing’. It is also simply suspicious that the tender process for the printing of South Africa’s driver’s licence cards has been postponed several times without any reasons or details being provided.”

AfriForum campaign officer Louis Boshoff, Campaign Officer said road users and taxpayers are entitled to more information regarding this procurement process.

“Transparency is of crucial importance in the Department of Transport’s decision-making process, as South Africans have long been fed up with the backlog in service delivery,” he said.

The Automobile Association has expressed concerns over the appointment of French tech firm IDEMIA to produce smart driving licence cards. The Department of Transport remains optimistic that the new service provider will enhance the security features of these cards. IDEMIA’s… pic.twitter.com/dWKMFmOwk1

— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) September 3, 2024

DO YOU THINK THE NEW SMART DRIVING LICENCE CARDS WILL HELP ELIMINATE FRAUD AND CORRUPTION?

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