RTIA denies nationwide AARTO rollout claims
Reports suggest the demerit points system is already in effect across the country.
But the Road Traffic Infringement Agency has labelled those claims as fake news.
The agency says it's only operational in Johannesburg and Tshwane, with just one of the four rollout phases completed.
RTIA spokesperson, Monde Mkalipi, joins us now to discuss this.
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The Citizen
6 days ago
- The Citizen
Aarto implementation date of 1 December ‘still tentative'
Is your municipality one of the 69? Serial offenders will be at risk of losing their driver's licences. Picture: Moneyweb Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) spokesperson Monde Mkalipi says the 1 December date for implementing the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Amendment Act in 69 municipalities countrywide, and the names of those municipalities, is still tentative. The current list of municipalities – which you can view here – includes all the metro councils and the larger towns and cities in all provinces. The RTIA, an agency of the Department of Transport (DoT), administers the Aarto Act and its amended version. It became operational in 2010 but the RTIA has been unable to implement parts of Aarto beyond Johannesburg and Tshwane. Several deadlines for countrywide implementation have been missed and postponed. The Aarto Amendment Act, which was presented as making necessary changes to enable countrywide implementation, has been signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, but he has yet to promulgate the date on which it becomes operational. Before that can happen, he must also appoint an Appeals Board as required by the act. ALSO READ: Aarto demerit points system to be implemented by mid-2025 – Nada Confusion around timing Confusion followed Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa's announcement during his budget speech earlier this month that Aarto will be implemented in 69 municipalities on 1 October and the other 144 on 1 February next year. His speech has since been 'corrected' on the DoT website to change the October date to 1 December. The February date for the final roll-out remains unchanged. However, Mkalipi says there will only be certainty once the promulgation has been made and announced in the Government Gazette. He says consultation must still be finalised, 'including with the municipalities'. Hlengwa's published statement now reads that Aarto 'will be rolled out in different phases according to municipal readiness from 1 December 2025 for the 69 municipalities that are ready for the rollout'. 'This is Phase 2 of the Aarto rollout programme, while Phase 3 will be rolled out on 1 February 2026 for the 144 municipalities that will only be ready then.' ALSO READ: Driving licence points demerit system still 'a long way off' The legislation has been in operation in Tshwane and Johannesburg since 2008. Still, the points demerit system provided for in the legislation will only be operational once Aarto is in effect countrywide. This will constitute the fourth and final stage, says Mkalipi. Once the act is in full operation, serial offenders will be at risk of losing their driver's licences if they exceed a certain number of demerit points and fail to mend their ways. If the rollout progresses according to the deputy minister's target dates, it will only be after a long series of false starts. Initially, municipalities and other stakeholders expressed considerable resistance, often accompanied by threats of litigation. There were also concerns about the readiness of municipalities to administer the complex system. Some of the concerns seem to have been addressed in the Amendment Act – and Hlengwa seems confident that the 69 municipalities are now ready for implementation on 1 December. ALSO READ: RTIA says Aarto Act implementation will increase municipalities' income 'No point without points demerits' JP Smith, Cape Town MMC for safety and security, says the city will have no choice but to implement Aarto if it is included in the proclamation. However, he is very critical of its implementation without the points demerit system. 'This is the only useful part of the act. Implementing without it will be an impediment to law enforcement. 'It is like me giving you an ice cream, but I only hand you the cone.' Smith says the city is relying on the fact that it can still use its current bylaw to prosecute traffic transgressions. ALSO READ: Court misconstrued Aarto Act when declaring it unconstitutional, says RTMC Unresolved issues Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association, says much discussion still needs to happen before the Aarto Amendment Act can be implemented. 'We sent a lot of comments when new regulations were issued for comment in 2019, and they haven't come back to us about it. Maybe they will go ahead anyway,' he says. The points demerit system is the essence of Aarto. Kelly says implementing without it will change how municipalities issue contravention notices. 'If the authorities start issuing Aarto paperwork, they will still be accountable in court if they don't follow due process – and we don't see that [due process] in Johannesburg and Tshwane.' He says issues about how vehicle fleets are dealt with in the Aarto process, including attaching points to vehicles, have not been resolved. ALSO READ: Like it or not, demerit points are coming 'You cannot change the behaviour of vehicles. You must change the behaviour of drivers.' Kelly says the authorities are trying to make money by, for example, charging fees to access the status on the points demerit system. 'In other countries, anybody can at any time access the points free of charge.' Employers must also be allowed to see how many points have been awarded against their drivers, but with the fees that have been proposed 'some companies will go bankrupt by paying access fees'. Advocate Stefanie Fick, executive director for accountability at Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, says transitional measures must be published to guide stakeholders when the Aarto Amendment Act becomes operational, and regulations governing the act must determine how it will operate. This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.
The South African
19-07-2025
- The South African
START of controversial AARTO traffic fines system 75 days' away
It's been two years since we last discussed AARTO traffic fines in South Africa. For those who are unfamiliar or who have simply forgotten, AARTO traffic fines work on a points-based demerit system. Essentially, instead of motorists only being fined for traffic indiscretions, they will also start to accrue demerit points on their licence. Rack up enough demerits against your name (the maximum is 15) and you'll have your licence suspended for three months. Do this twice and the department will revoke your driver's licence and you will have to reapply from scratch and recomplete the learners' and drivers' tests. Getting the AARTO traffic fines system to work all around the country is a huge IT undertaking, hence the years of delays. Image: File In theory, AARTO traffic fines sound like a good way to reform motorists from repeat offences. And now, the system that's taken nearly a decade to come into action nationwide, has finally been given a start date – Wednesday 1 October 2025. This is according to the Department of Transport Deputy Minister, Mkhuleko Hlengwa. Speaking in Parliament, Hlengwa confirmed that AARTO traffic fines will go live in all 69 major municipalities – including Cape Town and Johannesburg in just 75 days' time, reports TopAuto . Key to the implementation of AARTO traffic fines is municipal readiness. As The South African covered previously, the new centralised AARTO system promises to take money out of the pocket of local municipality law enforcement efforts. The IT system alone, to track and coordinate fine issuance nationwide is a huge undertaking. Moreover, the deputy minister confirmed that there will also be a phased approach to the current rollout. First major metros, then phase 2 and 3, which will commence on 1 February and 1 October 2026 across another 144 municipalities. Excessive speeding, drunk driving and reckless endangerment are the highest accruing AARTO traffic fines. Image: File From 1 October 2025 onwards, motorists should note the new system for challenging AARTO traffic fines. Infringements can be issued to motorists on the side of the road or affixed to the vehicle (parking violations). Likewise, camera-recorded infringements (speeding), can be legally served to the infringer by email. Upon receipt of AARTO traffic fines, an admission of guilt fine is uniformly applied, giving you a 50% discounted rate. The notice will also state the number of penalty points incurred due to the infringement. You then have 32 days in which to do the following: Settle the traffic fine immediately at the discounted rate. Demerit points still apply. Pay the traffic fine in instalments, in which case the discounted rate falls away. Demerit points still apply. You may appeal the violation. Download a form HERE. If you're not the motor vehicle owner/operator (a juristic person), you may nominate another driver for the fine. Download a form HERE. If the AARTO traffic fines are not settled after 64 days, a R200 late fee is added on top of the existing fine. Demerit points still apply. late fee is added on top of the existing fine. Demerit points still apply. Thereafter, if there's still no action, an enforcement order will be issued. And the infringer is blocked from performing any transactions on the NATIS system (vehicle licence renewals, etc). Certain serious infringement may be considered criminal offences, and you can be prosecuted under the Criminal Procedure Act. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
15-07-2025
- IOL News
Here's what companies with vehicle fleets need to do to prepare for AARTO in December
Corporate fleet will need to train their drivers on AARTO and also amend contracts. Image: Newspress Following countless delays, the Administrative Adjudication of Traffic Offences Act (AARTO) is now scheduled to launch nationally from December 2025. The Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) announced last week that the new system would be rolled out in 69 municipalities across the country from December, with the remaining areas to follow in early 2026. However, it appears that the demerit points system, a core feature of AARTO, will only be phased in from September 2026. The demerit system could present numerous administrative challenges for businesses that run vehicle fleets, and managers have been urged to prepare for the ins and outs of AARTO ahead of the implementation date. Organisations in affected municipalities should have driver management systems, relevant training programmes and administrative processes in place to handle the complexities of AARTO by December, MasterDrive CEO Eugene Herbert advises. Given widespread concerns about corruption affecting AARTO, businesses should also identify how they will respond if they encounter corruption. 'Rather than protesting AARTO by refusing to prepare due to corruption concerns, there should be well-established mechanisms from day one to manage this. A lack of preparation is not an effective way to protest but will further reduce your ability to adapt should the implementation date remain on track,' Herbert said The Retail Motor Industry Organisation (RMI) said companies need to understand their responsibilities and consider ways to protect themselves from possible liability relating to employees' driving offences. Although there is no proxy system when it comes to the demerit system, organisations are responsible for their vehicle fleets and should therefore ensure that a system is in place for company drivers to comply with AARTO. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading 'In many cases business owners serve as the representatives of the company on behalf of their fleet. While the AARTO Amendment Bill is quite clear that company representatives cannot lose points on behalf of company drivers, they have to ensure demerits accrue to the correct person,' the RMI said. Businesses must nominate the employee who drove the vehicle at the time of the alleged infringement within 32 days of the infringement notice being served. Failure to do so within this time frame will see the nomination option falling away. To that end, every company should appoint a person to take responsibility for traffic fine issues as well as licencing and roadworthiness. Companies will also be obliged, under law, to keep a register of the driver or person in control of their vehicles at all times. Importantly, AARTO clauses should also be included in the employment contracts of all employees who will be exposed to the demerit system, the RMI advises. This clause should also allow the company to access the employee's demerit history. While this might seem invasive, corporations can be held responsible if one of their employees drives a company vehicle after their license has been suspended due to them exceeding 12 demerit points. It's also worth noting, however, that there is currently no system in place whereby accrued demerit points can be monitored in a real-time database. 'Where an employee driver's licence has been cancelled, the employer may be able to institute disciplinary proceedings or incapacity proceedings against the employee where there is an appropriate policy in place,' law firm Bowmans advises. 'AARTO has significant ramifications for employers' business operations, and it becomes necessary for employers to understand the risks that could lead to them suffering loss and damages. It is imperative for employers to review and amend their policies and contracts of employment to accommodate the implications of AARTO,' the firm added. Regarding the nitty gritty, companies should review their insurance policies to understand how demerits might affect coverage, the RMI concludes. They should also ensure that address details on the eNatis record are correct and up to date so that infringement notices can be delivered to the correct person. IOL Motoring
