The Minister of Transport, Ms. Barbara Creecy, has requested the Auditor-General, who is currently undertaking an audit of the procurement process for the new driving license card, to widen the scope of the audit process and include an investigation into key issues.

These issues include:

1.    Whether supply chain management prescripts were followed to the letter;

2.    Whether the specs for the project included adequate measures to protect the safety of personal data given the sensitivity of information and security features involved in this project;

3.    The implications for this procurement process of the recent cancellation by ACSA of a contract that was awarded to IDEMIA due to a contractual dispute between IDEMIA and its BBBEE partner InfoVerge;

4.    Whether IDEMEIA's technical capacity and timeous delivery were adequately considered in the tender process following allegations of challenges at three Airports where IDEMIA's Biometrics system was contracted by the Border Management Authority;

5.    Whether other South African service providers tendered, including service providers contracted by the Government Printing Works? And why were they not selected?

6.    Was the chosen bidder the most affordable option?

The Auditor-General has been requested to prioritize this audit process given the current backlog for driving license card applications and the parlous state of the current printing machine.

Note to editors

• The Drivers Licence card printing machine has been procured by the Driving License Card Account (DLCA), which reports to the National Department of Transport
• The Current printing machine is 26 years old, and has had 159 breakdowns.

Media Contact:
Collen Msibi
National Spokesperson 066 476 9015