Gauteng will roll out a new digital vehicle licence plate system that will track each numberplate from manufacture to fitting and will include information of the owner and vehicle while the numberplates themselves have a series of tamper-proof features.

The goal is to ensure transparency across the value chain and to ensure that law enforcement officials can use the numberplates to track and trace vehicles to determine whether the plates have been rightfully issued, said Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) command and control and integrative systems research group leader Dr Sihle Sibiya during the launch and demonstration on June 5.

The CSIR developed the system in partnership with Gauteng province-owned fleet management services company G-Fleet on behalf of the provincial government.

The new licence plates use tamper-evident decals, forensic quick response codes and a digitised back-end portal.

Additionally, the plates themselves have markings that can be used to identify the plates even if they have been completely burned, he said.

To ensure broad consultation and adoption, the development team involved blankers, embossers, vehicle fleet owners, vehicle dealers and panel beaters, as well as the Gauteng Department of Roads and Transport (GDRT), law enforcement and the South African Bureau of Standards, he said.

Each physical numberplate is digitally tracked from when it is manufactured and traced throughout the process. The batches of plates are then assigned to registered and verified embossers who use them to print the plates. Only those plates issued to specific embossers can be issued or fitted by them.

Therefore, embossers must ensure they order enough plates from blankers, he advised.

The physical plates also have various security features, including a code that can be used to identify the number plate even if the vehicle or plate is completely burned or badly damaged.

The licence plates are printed and are not susceptible to peeling or cracking, are chemical and physical wear resistant, and have other tamper-evident features, said Sibiya.

All the parties under the new system will use the same digital platform and must be registered and accredited to access the system, on which they can track their own information and submit their documents digitally.

The new licence plate system was tested in partnership with G-Fleet to ensure it can track and trace each uniquely identified numberplate, Sibiya noted.

Additionally, the new system for licence plates was also designed to adhere to African standards so that it will be recognisable and usable across the region.

The system is designed to eliminate many of the activities requiring human intervention, and can also perform various analytical functions, such as producing reports for the users, said Sibiya.

This is also partly a security consideration, as the system cannot allow anyone interfering with the data set, and there are only a few areas where authorised professionals can interact with the data set, making it a secure solution, he noted.

“From manufacture to fitting, each plate is tracked at each step of the process. Law enforcement officers can then use a handheld scanner to scan a number plate and determine whether the vehicle information matches that on the database.

“Traffic officers can also readily determine whether a vehicle has been scanned at a prior checkpoint. The system helps all law enforcement officers by providing them with an additional tool that they can use to monitor vehicles across the province.”

Development of the system started in 2023 and went through prototyping and testing. After the launch on June 5, the system will undergo a pilot period of six months to a year to demonstrate its efficacy and carry out further testing, said Sibiya.

Meanwhile, GDRT MEC Kedibone Diale-Tlabela highlighted enterprise development opportunities that the provincial government was supporting, with manufacturing companies producing the plate sheets for Southern Africa stating that they will help to support new companies with knowledge and advice.

“For embossers, we ran workshops but we attracted fewer than 150 people when our aim is to support the establishment of 400 small embossing companies. We encourage the youth to take up these opportunities,” she said.

Further, the Gauteng government will provide training and support to companies to achieve accreditation once established.