Thursday 5th June 2025 marked a significant milestone in the province’s journey towards safer and smarter roads as Gauteng Premier, Panyaza Lesufi, alongside MEC for Roads and Transport, Kedibone Diale-Tlabela, officially unveiled the new high-tech, tamper-proof provincial new number plate pilot system at the Nasrec Expo Centre in Johannesburg.
The new intelligent number plate system represents a leap forward as it is a secure, traceable, and smart solution, incorporating tamper-evident decals, forensic QR codes, and a fully digitised back-end portal.
These technological enhancements are designed to combat vehicle theft, fraud, and cloning, while improving road safety and empowering traffic law enforcement across the province.
The system will be piloted using g-Fleet vehicles affixed with the technologically advanced new number plates as part of the six-month stress testing project, before the provincial rollout.
This system is set to drastically improve the credibility of number plates and to enable license plate tracking within the value chain, from manufacturer to end user (vehicle owner).
It also seeks to address longstanding challenges in the vehicle registration and law enforcement framework, tackling cloned or fraudulent license plates, lack of interoperability with Southern African Development Community (SADC) systems and inadequate data traceability.
In his remarks, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi pronounced the launch of the new numberplate system is a major step and pioneering project in the fight against criminality in the province.
“We are letting go of the old ways of fighting crime and introducing new ideas in this fight. With the help of CSIR, we are now deploying a digital system that ensures we able to account for every vehicle on our public roads. Those who are using fraudulent or duplicate number plates will have no space or time to drive on our roads,” the Premier said.
The Premier also emphasised that the province has now launched a high calibre weapon in the fight against criminality and restoring order.
“We are ready to fight fire by fire. We are engaging with law-enforcement agencies to look at ways on concentrating efforts on those that are breaking the laws of the province. Through this launch, we are demonstrating that we are going to win this fight, that is how we are going to restore order,” noted the Premier.
Speaking at the launch, MEC Diale-Tlabela highlighted that the launch represents a strategic provincial intervention to combat crime effectively and strengthen regulatory compliance.
She added this was an important pillar in the broader Provincial Integrated Crime Prevention Strategy.
“By partnering with law enforcement agencies, metro police departments and the private sector, we are enhancing vehicle identification and traceability.
“These smart number plates will significantly reduce vehicle cloning, trafficking of stolen vehicles, and the use of falsified plates in criminal activities. It is about disrupting criminal networks and improving road safety”.
The MEC further announced this system has the potential to catalyse economic participation and unlock local economic potential by localising production of number plates; empower small manufacturers through inclusion in the value chain; stimulating new opportunities for technology-driven enterprises and facilitate innovation to enhance public safety, combat lawlessness and fighting crime.
In his 2023 State-of-the-Province address, Premier Lesufi, reaffirmed the commitment to combat crime, corruption, lawlessness, and vandalism through the deployment of the latest technology. This launch is testament to that promise.
He indicated vehicles were a common denominator in the commission of, particularly, violent crimes, either as stolen or getaway vehicles. This is so as a high number of criminal activities in the province involve the use of a vehicle, often, affixed with cloned or falsified number plates.
Meanwhile, to bolster traffic law-enforcement, the Gauteng Provincial Government also welcomed 96 officers from the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC).
These additional “boots on the ground” officers will enhance visibility and strengthen crime fighting efforts in the province.
“With these additional resources, the provincial government will also be able to undertake interventions to stabilise and manage taxi violence at identified hotspots, promote responsible road usage, and enhance traffic management,” the MEC said.
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