It constantly frustrates me how although since 1998 (16 years ago) the official licence system has made use of a system of letters to distinguish between different licence codes, to this day, people still, on a regular basis, refer to licence codes by the old number system.
To make things easier for people who are getting confused, I’ve pulled the data from the Road Traffic Act and put it together here, first the learner’s licence, then driver’s licence info. The system has undergone several changes over the decades and the time frame that each refers to is specified at the top of each column
I’ve also added a copy of a current driver’s licence to show what the current codes refer to.
Learner’s Licence system
| learner’s licence issued before 1 March 1998 | New/Current Learner’s Licence | What this currently entails |
| Code 01, 02, 03, 04 and 15 | Code 1 | Motorbike / trike |
| Code 05, 06, 07, 08 | Code 2 | LMV |
| code 10, 11, 13 and 14 | Code 3 | HMV or LMV |
Driver’s Licence
| Current | [1995 – 1998] | [01.06.1990 – 1995) | [31.12.1985 – 01.06.1990) | [01.02.1972 – 31.12.1985) | [01.01.1967 – 01.02.1972) | [… – 01.01.1967) |
| A1 | Code 01 | Code 01 | Code 01 | Code 01 | Code 01 | Code 01 |
| A | Code 15 | Code 02 Code 15 Code 03 Code 04 |
Code 02 Code 03 Code 04 |
Code 02 Code 03 Code 04 |
Code 02 Code 03 |
Code 02 Code 03 |
| B | Code 05 Code 07 |
Code 05 Code 07 |
Code 05 Code 07 |
Code 05 Code 07 |
agricultural / industrial vehicles | |
| EB | Code 08 | Code 08 | Code 08 | Code 08 | Code 08 | Code 08 |
| EC1 | Code 10 | Code 10 | Code 10 | Code 9 | ||
| EC | Code 11 Code 13 Code 14 |
Code 11 Code 13 Code 14 |
Code 11 Code 13 Code 14 |
Code 10 Code 11 |
Code 10 Code 11 |
Code 10 |
Current SA driver’s licence codes
A code 6 licence could be given for any category licence referring to an electrically powered vehicle.
A code 12 licence could be given for any category licence referring to a vehicle that is specially adapted for use by a physically disabled person.
All info is from the Road Traffic Act, Regulations, Chapter V: Fitness of Drivers, Part ll: Learner’s and driving licences and it goes into a lot more detail than I’ve displayed here. You can click the following terms if you would like more info on the SA Driver’s licence system or the Professional Driver’s Permit.