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Everyone loves a cool number plate, and although you can personalise your number plate, it’s important to know about illegal number plates in South Africa. Customised number plates can be a fun way to brand your vehicle or an excellent gift for a loved one. But number plates are an important identifying factor for your vehicle and must comply with the law. 

There are many dos and don’ts when selecting and buying your number plate. An error can be a criminal offence so take note of the regulations so that you don’t get into trouble! 

As it turns out, many illegal number plates are roaming around in South Africa. 

Over the past few months, the City of Cape Town’s Safety and Security Directorate, under its Traffic Service Department, said it saw a steady increase in the number of motorists who are not using number plates or are using expired dealer plates.

Traffic Service spokesperson Maxine Bezuidenhout said in a statement that it is essential to highlight the consequences of not adhering to this road rule.

A standardised number plate refers to a plate containing the province-specific colour scheme, plate design, and alphanumeric scheme. Personalised plates contain the province-specific colour scheme and design, but with your choice of numeric or alpha characters, subject to approval. A plate containing offensive content will not be approved.

“Motorists should display the standardised number plates. Having a visible number plate is an integral part of having your roadworthy vehicle on the road. It ultimately contributes to road and vehicle safety and a safer road environment.”

She continues that a motorist travelling without a number plate will face legal consequences.

Motorists will also be found guilty of an offence if they have:

• An easily detachable number plate.
• An incorrectly allocated number plate.
• Number plates with incorrect height or width of the letters.

Illegal Number Plates

There is a hefty fine for those driving around with illegal number plates. These include:

• Number plates that are not SABS approved;
• Number plates registered to a car’s previous owner or an old car of yours; and
• Intentionally misrepresenting the information on your license plate.

There are advanced Automated Number Plate Recognition Systems (ANPR) to identify false number plates and force drivers to comply. 

You can see these devices at roadblocks. They’re usually mounted on a tripod. 

Traffic Service also implemented Average Speed Over Distance (ASOD) camera systems. These can be found on highways like Nelson Mandela Boulevard and the M5 in Cape Town. You’ll also see these on the national highways, the N1 and N3. 

The cameras identify the following:

• Stolen vehicles,
• Vehicle licenses with outstanding warrants of arrest,
• Suspended licenses and plates, and
• Unlicensed vehicles.

The City of Cape Town‘s mayoral committee member for safety and security, JP Smith, has urged both motorists and number plate manufacturers to comply with traffic laws. 

Motorists need to only purchase plates from registered dispensers. 

“Motorists should not forget that ignorance will not hold as an excuse when fined or appearing in court. We all must ensure that our vehicles display number plates that are legal and compliant,” he continues.