Inside SA’s black market for number plates | Special Feature

A Business Day investigation has exposed how easily illegal and cloned licence plates can be bought in South Africa — in some cases within minutes, with no proof of ownership, ID or vehicle registration required. In this BizNews special feature, Business Day deputy editor Kabelo Khumalo, DA trade and competition spokesperson Toby Chance, Licence Plate Association of South Africa president Jan de Lange, and WeBuyCars head of admin and risk Sean Sevell unpack a broken system that criminals are allegedly exploiting in plain sight. The discussion traces the problem from street-level embossers and unregulated blank plates to outdated machines, alleged misuse of SABS certification numbers, and weak coordination between government departments, provinces and law enforcement. Chance warns that as many as three-fifths of the roughly 250,000 plates issued each month could potentially come from illegal embossers, while De Lange argues the real fix must begin at the source — with manufacturers, client lists and accredited SABS records. The feature also examines the separate Competition Commission case against South Africa’s three main number plate manufacturers, as well as allegations involving dealers and service providers in the supply chain. WeBuyCars rejects any suggestion that it manufactures or knowingly supplies non-compliant plates, saying it relies on outside service providers and would investigate any proven breach. What all parties agree on is that South Africa’s number plate system — meant to identify vehicles and assist policing — has become dangerously vulnerable. Video production by Patrick Kidd Book your tickets now for the BizNews Conference #9 - Drakensberg - 11-14 August 2026. Click here: https://bit.ly/48fiMfO Support South Africa’s bastion of independent journalism, offering balanced insights on investments, business, and the political economy, by joining BizNews Premium. Register here - https://bit.ly/4ifcIWO Your early morning brew of the BizNews Insider keeps you up to speed with the content that matters. Register here - https://biznews.beehiiv.com/biznews-i... Join this channel to get access to perks:    / @biznewstv