Lead the way in ensuring that registration and fair trade allow everyone the business opportunity they (deserve)

Breaking News

AfriForum threatens legal action over Gauteng number plate rollout

Lobby group AfriForum has warned the Gauteng Department of Transport to halt its planned rollout of new number plates or face legal action.

The civil rights organisation argues the project should be suspended until the Competition Tribunal completes its case against three manufacturers accused of fixing plate prices.

AfriForum’s Louis Boshoff said government has not been clear about costs and deadlines, and motorists should not be forced to pay for expensive new plates.

“It is obvious that the department should not proceed with requiring vehicle owners to purchase new number plates while it is known that the number plates are being sold at prices above market value. It is disappointing has to threaten legal action because the department is unwilling to make a simple undertaking.”

The Gauteng government launched a pilot project for the new number plate system in June last year, saying it would decrease the use of counterfeit or cloned plates.

Speaking at the launch, at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg, Premier Panyaza Lesufi said new number plates will assist with revenue collection, regulation of roadworthiness and insurance.

The new number plates feature an embedded QR code, the National flag, and a tamper-evident security decal fixed to enhance anti-counterfeiting measures.

Soon after the launch, AfriForum submitted a Promotion of Access to Information Act application to access details on the costs motorists would incur for Gauteng’s new number plates.

Battle over new number plates in Gauteng

Civil rights organisation AfriForum has demanded that the Gauteng Provincial Government halt the planned rollout of new number plates in the province.

It said it would launch legal proceedings if Gauteng did not pause the rollout until the Competition Tribunal finished its prosecution of South Africa’s number plate manufacturers over alleged price-fixing.

AfriForum said it sent letters of demand to the Department of Transport in Gauteng and to Premier Panyaza Lesufi, demanding that the rollout be halted.

“AfriForum’s letter of demand follows renewed rumours that the provincial government intends to require all vehicle owners in Gauteng to purchase new number plates for their vehicles,” it said.

“This comes after the Competition Commission found in March that the country’s only three manufacturers of blank number plates had formed a cartel and colluded to fix higher prices.”

In March, the commission accused three companies in KwaZulu-Natal of collusion and price-fixing, namely Uniplate, New Number Plate Requisites (NNPR), and Unique Number Plate.

The three companies manufacture number plate blanks in South Africa, which eventually become full vehicle number plates and are made out of aluminium or perspex.

An investigation into the alleged number plate cartel found that from at least June 2023, the three companies fixed prices of number plate blanks supplied to customers across the country.

If the allegations are found to be true, it means that South African drivers have been paying artificially inflated prices for their plates for at least three years.

“The companies further agreed to impose a surcharge of R10 on all number plate blanks sold in KwaZulu-Natal,” the commission said at the time.

Together, the three companies account for the vast majority of South Africa’s plate blank manufacturing capacity.

The Competition Tribunal then launched an investigation into the three companies to uncover and prosecute any alleged wrongdoings.

Gauteng planned to force drivers to change their plates

The Gauteng Provincial Government launched a project last year in which its newly designed number plates were fitted to all provincial fleet vehicles.

“According to the original plan, the project was to be extended to all private vehicles in the province after six months,” said AfriForum.

“After it emerged that the price of number plates was excessively high due to collusion within the industry, AfriForum sought clarity.”

The civil rights group said it reached out to Gauteng to ask whether it would postpone this plan due to allegations of price-fixing of number plate blanks.

It said that, following several enquiries, it was unable to obtain any confirmation from the Department of Transport and was therefore compelled to send the letter of demand.

“It stands to reason that the Department should not proceed with requiring vehicle owners to purchase new number plates,” said AfriForum spokesperson Louis Boshoff.

“At least not while it is known that the plates are being sold at prices above market value.”

Boshoff stated that Gauteng’s new number plate project had been shrouded in controversy from the outset. The provincial government has yet to provide any cost estimate for the new plates.

“It is disappointing that AfriForum has to threaten legal action because the Department is unwilling to make a simple undertaking,” he said.

AfriForum also said that the department did not indicate how long vehicle owners in Gauteng would have to wait to acquire the new number plates.

“At present, all indications are that it would be better to place the project on hold,” Boshoff said.

“AfriForum will pull out all the stops to prevent Gauteng vehicle owners from having to spend thousands of rand each on unreasonably expensive number plates.”

Gautengse nommerplate:

AfriForum sal hof toe indien nodig

AfriForum het Maandag ’n prokureursbrief aan die Gautengse departement van vervoer en die kantoor van premier Panyaza Lesufi gerig en dring aan dat die uitrol van nuwe nommerplate gestaak word totdat die Mededingingstribunaal se vervolging van drie nommerplaatvervaardigers voltooi is.

Die burgerregteorganisasie waarsku ook dat hy ’n hofaansoek teen die departement sal bring indien daar nie ag geslaan word op die eise in die brief nie.

AfriForum se prokureursbrief kom in reaksie op hernude gerugte dat die provinsiale regering van alle voertuigeienaars in Gauteng wil vereis om nuwe nommerplate vir hul voertuie aan te skaf. Dit terwyl die Mededingingskommissie in Maart bevind het dat die land se enigste drie vervaardigers van blanko nommerplate ’n kartel gevorm het en saamspan om hoër pryse vas te stel.

Die Gautengse departement van vervoer het in Junie verlede jaar ’n projek van stapel gestuur waarin nuut ontwerpte nommerplate op al die provinsie se vlootvoertuie aangebring is. Volgens aanvanklike beplanning moes dié projek ná ses maande na alle privaat voertuie in die provinsie uitgebrei word.

Maroela Media het vroeër berig Lesufi het voorheen gesê dié nuwe nommerplate vir voertuigeienaars in Gauteng is ’n geleentheid om misdaadbekamping in die provinsie op te skerp.

Hy glo die nuwe intelligente nommerplaatstelsel is ’n “sprong vorentoe” en glo die nommerplate is veiliger en naspeurbaar, aangesien dit ’n forensiese QR-kode het waarmee nie gepeuter kan word nie.

Louis Boshoff, woordvoerder van AfriForum, sê ná dit aan die lig gekom het dat die pryse van nommerplate uitermate hoog is vanweë samespanning in die bedryf, wou AfriForum weet of die Gautengse departement dit in ag neem en die projek gaan uitstel.

“Ná verskeie navrae kon AfriForum geen bevestiging van die departement in hierdie verband kry nie en is die organisasie genoop om nou ’n prokureursbrief te rig.”

Volgens Boshoff is dit vanselfsprekend dat die departement nie moet voortgaan om van voertuigeienaars te verwag om nuwe nommerplate te koop, terwyl dit bekend is dat die plate teen pryse bo markwaarde verkoop word nie.

“Dit is teleurstellend dat AfriForum met regsaksie moet dreig omdat die departement nie bereid is om ’n eenvoudige voorneme aan te gaan nie.”

Die projek om nuwe nommerplate vir Gauteng uit te rol, is van die begin af in omstredenheid gehul nadat die provinsiale regering verlede jaar aangedui het dat hulle geen kosteberaming vir die nuwe nommerplate kan voorsien nie. Die departement kon in reaksie op ’n aansoek van AfriForum ingevolge die Wet op Bevordering van Toegang tot Inligting (Paia) ook geen aanduiding gee van hoe lank voertuigeienaars tyd sal hê om die nuwe nommerplate aan te skaf nie.

“Alles dui tans daarop dat dit beter is om die projek eers uit te stel. AfriForum sal alles in die stryd werp om te keer dat Gautengse voertuigeienaars nou duisende rande moet spandeer om onredelik duur nommerplate aan te skaf,” sê Boshoff.

AfriForum’s attorneys today sent a letter of demand to the Gauteng Department of Transport and the office of the Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, demanding that the rollout of new number plates be halted until the Competition Tribunal has concluded its prosecution of three number plate manufacturers. The civil rights organisation further warned that it will institute legal proceedings against the Department should the demands contained in the letter not be met.

AfriForum’s letter of demand follows renewed rumours that the provincial government intends to require all vehicle owners in Gauteng to purchase new number plates for their vehicles. This comes after the Competition Commission found in March that the country’s only three manufacturers of blank number plates had formed a cartel and colluded to fix higher prices.

In June last year, the Gauteng Department of Transport launched a project in which newly designed number plates were fitted to all provincial fleet vehicles. According to the original plan, the project was to be extended to all private vehicles in the province after six months. After it emerged that the price of number plates was excessively high due to collusion within the industry, AfriForum sought clarity on whether the Gauteng Department would take this into account and postpone the project. Following several enquiries, AfriForum was unable to obtain any confirmation from the Department in this regard and was compelled to issue a letter of demand.

According to Louis Boshoff, Spokesperson for AfriForum, it stands to reason that the Department should not proceed with requiring vehicle owners to purchase new number plates while it is known that the plates are being sold at prices above market value. “It is disappointing that AfriForum has to threaten legal action because the Department is unwilling to make a simple undertaking.”

The project to roll out new number plates in Gauteng has been shrouded in controversy from the outset after the provincial government indicated last year that it could not provide any cost estimate for the new number plates. In response to an application by AfriForum in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), the Department was also unable to indicate how much time vehicle owners would have to acquire the new number plates.

“At present, all indications are that it would be better to place the project on hold. AfriForum will pull out all the stops to prevent Gauteng vehicle owners from having to spend thousands of rand each on unreasonably expensive number plates,” Boshoff concludes.

Issued by AfriForum spokesperson Louis Boshoff

The Sunday Times ZA headline this Sunday was perhaps a bit hyperbolic – “SABS faces financial ruin”. But the underlying story was not.
Deputy Editor Kabelo Kumalo asked for my comment on the tender the SABS issued last week for a consultant to come in and review its business model and set it on a path of financial sustainability.
It is not unusual for organisations under stress to seek outside help. The SABS has been without a permanent CEO since 2018 and since then has experienced leadership instability, governance failures, multiple cyber-attacks, labour unrest and operational underperformance.
These have been exposed by whistleblowers, who through their brave efforts in the face of threats, intimidation and in some cases suspension, have revealed the depth of the rot.
The business model of the SABS, arguably, was rendered unsustainable after it was demerged in 2008, leading to the creation of the National Regulator for Compulsory Specifications (NRCS).
The appointed consultant will need to look beyond just the SABS operational performance and take into account the NRCS, to establish whether the decision to demerge was the right one.
The scrutiny the Democratic Alliance put the SABS under over many years eventually led Minister Tau to appoint TSU International in February 2025 to conduct an investigation into the problems at the institution.
The SABS board is due to present the findings of this investigation to the Portfolio Committee on 29th May when we will have an opportunity to establish whether necessary actions are being taken to address the deep-rooted problems revealed by the whistleblowers.
Deputy Minister and DA MP Alexandra Abrahams has delegated responsibility for the SABS and is serious about turning the SABS around.
This morning I was interviewed on this topic by 702 Bongani Bingwa on his #702Breakfast show. The SABS mark of quality has suffered badly in recently years and needs a makeover to restore public trust.