The Free State department of transport on Tuesday announced changes to the province’s vehicle number-plate regulations.
”The [provincial minister] for public works, roads and transport, Seiso Mohai, has approved amendments to the provincial notices regarding number plates after the department was flooded with requests from the public,” Gunnett Kaaf, a departmental spokesperson, said.
These amendments in the main introduce an increase to the maximum number of characters on personalised number plates from six to seven, as well as plastic plates for regular, special and personalised number plates.
There is also an amendment that extends the cut-off date for the use of the black-and-white number plates to March 31 2007.
In terms of the new amendments, personalised plates must consist of at least one, but not more than seven letters followed by the letters FS or a combination of a maximum of seven letters and figures, followed by the letters FS.
Kaaf said the seven characters followed by the letters FS must be displayed on number plates of 520mm by 113mm and 305mm by 165mm.
Plastic number plates, with the cheetah landscape — as on the metal number plates — will now also be available and are permissible.
”Motorists with registered vehicles in the Free State will now have a choice between the metal and the plastic number plates,” said Kaaf.
The cut-off date for the black-and-white Free State number plates, which was supposed to be December 31 2006, has been extended until March 31 2007.
”All these amendments will be effective as of April 1 2007,” said Kaaf. — Sapa