SALGA files application to block AARTO rollout on 1 July 2026

[mylesillidge]

Towns and municipalities fight against launch of new traffic fine system in South Africa

The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) has filed an urgent High Court application to block the implementation of new traffic fine laws, scheduled to commence on 1 July 2026.

It raised concerns surrounding the funding model underpinning the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act.

 

[GMAN03]

While I'm not a fan of AARTO, I'm even less of a fan of municipalities dishing out fines as a revenue making exercise.

 

[km2]

**** 'em. I think it creates perverse incentives that shitty little towns on the N2 (looking at you Swellendam) abuse.

 

[oros]

This aarto thing is Going to blow up in their faces....??

 

[biena]

**** 'em. I think it creates perverse incentives that shitty little towns on the N2 (looking at you Swellendam) abuse.

Incentive indeed. In my youth I regularly went pretoria -> sodwana. Always warned the newbies drive 10km below speedlimit in piet retief, always had 2/3 cars ticketed for speeding while obeying the speed limit.

 

[ThinkCentre]

Within 6 months of AARTO's implementation, South Africa will have no taxi drivers left or we will have traffic officials driving Mercs and BMWs!

 

[Gordon_R]

I asked pretty much the same question in the other thread. Seems I am not alone in questioning who gets all the money...

 

[Justanotherguybythesea]

Within 6 months of AARTO's implementation, South Africa will have no taxi drivers left or we will have traffic officials driving Mercs and BMWs!

No, we will still have taxis, and traffic officials with personal cars like Mb and BMW, though chief officers with Ferraris.

Yes, small towns like Lydenburg, Ermelo, Potties and such, where you have the city limits sign 20km out of the actual dorpie, will smile even more. Yes know from experience just why those signs are there, and why they have exactly twice the number of officers than roads leading to and from the town, because half will be either sleeping, or in court defending.

 

[ghaye]

This whole AARTO thing means F-all if the enforcement stays the same. The laws have not changed, they have never been policed so why would that suddenly change?

 

[garyc]

They based AARTO on the failed system in the UK. With traffic enforcement becoming a cost rather than income for local municipalities many of them scaled back significantly on "traffic safety" (revenue collection). We can also expect to see even lower levels of enforcement.