FILE PHOTO: KZN transport department has announced plans for a new number plate system across the province. PICTURE: IOL
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0 DURBAN: This consultation only marks the first step in the implementation of the new plates.
The KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) Department of Transport has begun the process of introducing new number plates to the province, in light of current designations being outdated in terms of the registering authority boundaries.
The provincial transport department met with delegates from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) and the South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) on 6 September to request assistance in expediting the implementation process through system enhancements and changes on the national traffic database (NaTis).
The KZN Department of Transport highlighted that there is an “urgent need” to introduce a new provincial licence plate as some geographic areas in which these plates were registered no longer accurately reflect where the vehicles are kept.
These include number plates such as:
- ND – Durban
- NPN – Pinetown
- NPS – Port Shepstone
- NRB – Richards Bay
- PMB – Pietermaritzburg
The new alphanumeric format that will be used has not been determined yet. This will be done by the KZN MEC for Transport, Sipho Hlomuka, in accordance with Regulation 27 (1) and (2) of the National Road Traffic Act.
“All other Provinces have a continuous numbering system, except for KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape,” said MEC Hlomuka.
“The new numbering for the province will be easy to align with the national intentions to develop a new numbering system for the country.”
This consultation only marks the first step in the implementation of the new plates, as the department still needs to engage with other relevant stakeholders before outlining the final specifications and processes.
“As we move ahead with this process we want to ensure that there is job creation and economic empowerment of our people in KZN. These consultations will assist us in ensuring that our road map towards the implementation of the new numbering system is inclusive,” said Hlomuka.
“As a government, we are also looking at better ways of ensuring that when the project is implemented there will be no burden to motorists.”
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