The Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s (JMPD’s) launch of a new handheld electronic traffic notice issuing system supports the idea of migrating South Africa to a digital-only licensing regime.

That is according to professional driving expert Rob Handfield-Jones, a staunch advocate of scrapping physical cards and discs.

City of Joburg (CoJ) public safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku unveiled modified smartphones and portable printers for JMPD traffic officers on Friday, 8 August 2025.

The modified smartphones can verify vehicle and driving licence card details, flag stolen cars and fraudulent cards, and pull violations from the Electronic National Traffic Information System (eNatis).

“The device lets officers capture accident reports within five minutes and issue notices, even during load-shedding or without network coverage,” the city said.

Based on photos from the launch, the device that JMPD officers are using seems to be the Honeywell ScanPal EDA52.

The manufacturer describes this as an “enterprise-class mobile computer that provides secure connectivity between frontline workers and backend systems”.

The devices come with a scanning engine that enables fast reading of barcodes, such as those on driving licence cards and discs.

Handfield-Jones told MyBroadband that the system raised the question: Why does South Africa still need physical driving licence cards and licence discs?

He argued that eNatis already provides a digital record of driving and vehicle licences, as well as traffic violation history.

If traffic officers around the country were equipped with devices like the JMPD’s, it could eliminate the requirement for physical driving licence cards or vehicle licence discs.

Handfield-Jones said these were merely “tokens” proving the existence of the digital record. Instead of scanning a barcode on a card or disc, traffic officers can use biometrics like drivers’ fingerprints.

Besides ultra-low-end budget models, all modern smartphones have fingerprint readers for more secure biometric-based device unlocking.

Physical tokens are outdated

All vehicles also have vehicle identification numbers (VINs), which are typically embedded under the windshield and on the engine.

These VINs are included in the eNatis record. Therefore, a traffic officer with a smartphone and the right software could scan the VIN to check a car’s registered details.

Traffic officers can also use onboard diagnostics readers, which plug into a port available in almost all cars launched since the early 2000s, to confirm that the VIN has not been tampered with.

The only remaining challenge is ensuring the devices can connect to eNatis even when offline, something the JMPD’s solution seems capable of doing.

Handfield-Jones has submitted a proposal to Parliament calling on the legislature to facilitate the development of an electronic backend system to eliminate physical cards and discs.

Government admits cards are a money spinner

Handfield-Jones has also argued that the licences should only expire when a driver has reached an age where they may no longer be physically able to drive.

The only condition should be that they pass an eye test performed by a qualified optometrist every five years. These can be submitted directly to the department for verification.

The government has provided various reasons for the relatively short five-year validity period, all of which have largely been discredited over the years.

It initially argued that the short validity period would improve road safety, as drivers would have to undergo eye tests with renewals.

However, an independent report commissioned by the department previously found that these tests were insufficient in confirming eye health.

It also recommended that the country extend the validity period to eight years with the current laminated card and 10 years with the planned polycarbonate cards.

This would be more aligned with practices in countries with far better road safety records than South Africa’s.

Another argument the government previously made was that there were concerns the laminated cards would not last longer than five years. That, too, has proven not to be the case.

Handfield-Jones believes that issuing physical driving licence cards and discs has become a money-making racket with no benefit to road safety.

Transport minister Barbara Creecy recently acknowledged that one factor keeping the driving licence card renewal period at five years was the impact it would have on the department’s revenues.

Handfield-Jones has warned that the government will indefinitely milk drivers with the token-based licence system unless citizens stop it.