Positive update for South Africa’s driving licence cards
The Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) has boosted South Africa’s driving licence cards with the launch of new digital technology.
South Africa’s driving licence cards could get a new lease on life thanks to the Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s (JMPD) launch of a cutting-edge handheld traffic enforcement system.
City of Johannesburg public safety MMC Mgcini Tshwaku unveiled the device on Friday, 8 August 2025, giving officers instant access to driver and vehicle records, even during load-shedding or without network coverage.
New JMPD tech to give South Africa’s driving licence cards a digital boost
The setup uses modified smartphones with portable printers to verify driver’s licence card details, flag stolen vehicles, detect fraudulent cards, and retrieve traffic violation histories from the Electronic National Traffic Information System (eNatis).
Officers can also capture accident reports in under five minutes, streamlining roadside operations.
Images from the launch show the device in use appears to be Honeywell’s ScanPal EDA52—an enterprise-grade mobile computer with secure connectivity and a barcode scanning engine that quickly reads information from driving licence cards and discs.
Professional driving expert Rob Handfield-Jones says the system shows how much more useful and relevant licence cards can become when paired with the right digital tools.
“This proves that physical cards can work hand-in-hand with technology to make law enforcement faster, more accurate, and more reliable,” he said, as per Mybroadband.
By pairing physical cards with advanced mobile verification, traffic officers can instantly confirm authenticity, ensuring that only valid, legal drivers remain on the road.
For motorists, this delivers faster roadside checks, shorter waiting times, and greater assurance that their official licence card remains a powerful and recognised form of identification on the road.