Gauteng's new hi-tech 'tamper-proof' number plates unveiled
The new numbers plates for Gauteng were unveiled on Friday.
Image: Gauteng Provincial Government / Facebook
Gauteng has become the latest province to unveil a new number plate system which they say is tamper-proof and will boost crime-fighting efforts.
The provincial government launched the high-tech number plate system on Friday. It will be piloted over the next six months on the government fleet before being publicly rolled out. It will be compulsory for motorists to switch to the new plates when they become available.
The government said the new system is tamper-proof and will boost crime-fighting efforts. The new system comes after the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government rolled out new number plates in 2023. In KZN, motorists have until November this year to change to the new plates to avoid complications with vehicle renewals and legal issues.
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi and Roads and Transport MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela officially unveiled the new system in Johannesburg.
The government said the system’s features include the ability to drastically improve the credibility of number plates and to enable license plate tracking within the value chain, from manufacturer to the vehicle owner.
Some of the features of the new number plates.
Image: Gauteng Provincial Government / Facebook
“This system is set to drastically improve the credibility of number plates and to enable license plate tracking within the value chain, from manufacturer to end user (vehicle owner),” stated the department.
In addition, it is hoped that the system will also address longstanding challenges in vehicle registration and the law enforcement framework, tackling cloned or fraudulent license plates, lack of interoperability with Southern African Development Community systems, and inadequate data traceability.
Lesufi said his administration, assisted by the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, is now deploying a digital system that ensures the ability to account for every vehicle on the province’s roads.
He warned that those using fraudulent or duplicate number plates will have no space or time to drive in Gauteng.
Diale-Tlabela said the smart number plates will significantly reduce vehicle cloning, trafficking of stolen vehicles, and the use of falsified plates in criminal activities, as well as disrupt criminal networks and improve road safety.
The Gauteng provincial legislature’s Portfolio Committee on Transport and Logistics welcomed the strategic introduction of the number plates as an intervention towards safer roads.
In the past, the committee raised concerns about the widespread use of falsified number plates on vehicles by people with intentions to commit various kinds of crimes or used as getaway cars and motorists driving vehicles affixed with expired vehicle registration permits and false or no number plates.