Phase 3 of South Africa’s new traffic fine system, AARTO, has not started. It was set to roll out nationally on 1 September 2026, TopAuto reported.
The Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act is still in Phase 2. That phase began on 1 July 2026 in 62 municipalities, including several metros.
The plan was to reach Phase 3 by the third quarter of 2026. The system was then meant to cover all 151 municipalities before the demerit points system starts in Phase 4.
The Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) has not given a launch date for the final phase in its Annual Performance Plan. The agency plans to start issuing demerit notices from 2027/28. Its wider plan has always been to roll out the system between 2025 and 2030.
After the Phase 3 deadline was missed, National Assembly MP Dr Chris Hunsinger questioned Transport Minister Barbara Creecy about the rollout.
Hunsinger asked whether every municipality and metro was linked to the AARTO system and able to process fines from the start. He also asked what backup plans were in place to stop a build up of unresolved fines in the first three months.
Creecy said all Phase 2 issuing authorities had been linked to the AARTO system and were able to process infringement notices.
“However, the adjudication of the representations is the sole responsibility of the RTIA in terms of the AARTO Act, and there are no shortfalls in the adjudication process,” she said.
Creecy said the RTIA had appointed adjudication staff. She said its AARTO War Room meets regularly to support all provinces.
The minister said the next phases will still go ahead despite the delay. She said the Demerit Points System will follow once AARTO covers the whole country.
Two critics of the Act, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) and the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), went to the High Court to try to stop the rollout.
OUTA said the government brought in the new laws without the legal protections motorists need. One of its main concerns was that there was no Independent Appeals Tribunal in place before the rollout. Motorists must go to this body if they disagree with a fine.
Details about the tribunal have since been released. OUTA now asks why its existence was not made public before AARTO came into force.
“In simple terms, government has switched on enforcement before switching on one of the most important protections available to motorists,” OUTA executive director Advocate Stefanie Fick said.
SALGA asked the Gauteng North High Court in Pretoria in July to stop the launch. It raised concerns about how AARTO is funded. It said many municipalities already face tight budgets.
The association said it has always supported AARTO’s goals but has serious concerns about its funding model and regulations.
The High Court dismissed SALGA’s application because it found the matter was not urgent. SALGA said it would keep pursuing the case.
Source: this article is based on reporting by TopAuto.co.za. Image: TopAuto.co.za. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice News desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Kgomotso Maake covers news and politics for Tzaneen Voice. Kgomotso reports on government, Parliament, municipalities, courts, crime and service delivery across South Africa, with a close eye on how national decisions reach towns like Tzaneen and the wider Limpopo province. Stories are written in plain English and focus on the facts: who made the decision, what it means, and what happens next.