Sameera Casmod | sameerac@radioislam.co.za
06 February 2024 | 12:10 p.m. SAST
1-min read

Image credits: South African Government News Agency

A recent report presented in the Swellendam Municipal Council has sounded the alarm regarding the potential diversion of traffic funds, warning that the full implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) system could shut down municipal traffic services.

Aarto, initially introduced as a means to regulate national road traffic and streamline traffic fine management, has been implemented in Johannesburg and Pretoria. The aim is for the nationwide implementation of the Aarto system, and if enforced, will initiate a demerit point system for traffic misdemeanours, which could lead to the suspension of an offender’s driving licence.

In terms of the act, fifty percent of traffic fine revenue will be redirected to the Road Traffic Infringement Authority (RTIA) instead of local municipalities.

Advocate Stephanie Fick of the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) told Radio Islam International that despite legal challenges, including a constitutional court review, the implementation of Aarto appears inevitable unless the government intervenes or acknowledges the system’s flaws.

“They cannot implement Aarto unless the President publishes a date in the Government Gazette, and that date hasn’t been published,” Fick noted.

While there is no definite date set for the nationwide implementation of Aarto, and despite concerns over administrative burdens and doubts about its efficacy in improving road safety, the government maintains its legal authority to enforce Aarto nationwide, Fick said.

Listen to the full interview on Sabaahul Muslim with Moulana Sulaimaan Ravat.