Speeding fines are the only thing keeping the South African Post Office alive

The South African Post Office (SAPO) will collect fines under the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act, which it said will become a critical revenue source.

After President Cyril Ramaphosa approved the rollout of the AARTO system to more than 60 additional municipalities from 1 July 2026, the Post Office confirmed that it would distribute legally served AARTO notices.

“As South Africa’s designated postal operator under the Universal Postal Union framework, SAPO will provide the electronic distribution of legally served AARTO notices,” it said.

“Using electronic communication channels, including SMS and email, motorists will receive secure, legally served notices with improved speed, efficiency, and traceability.”

However, according to Business Rescue Practitioners (BRPs) Anoosh Rooplal and Juanito Damons, several attempts have been made to stop the implementation of AARTO, which they say is a revenue-generation project for SAPO.

They said the first application against AARTO, which was brought by the South African Local Government Association (SALGA), was defended with costs.

The association launched legal action to suspend the expansion of AARTO to more municipalities in the days leading up to the President approving the rollout; however, it was dismissed for a lack of urgency.

SALGA expressed its concerns regarding the new traffic infringement system’s funding model and noted that many municipalities were already operating in a financially constrained environment.

Following the successful defence of the Act, another challenge has been launched, which left the business rescue practitioners concerned about the traffic law regime facing another wave of legal action.

“SAPO has since been advised that there is a new application filed by other parties. We are still awaiting papers from the Department of Transport,” the Business Rescue Practitioners said.

They added that it is important that the Post Office defend these exclusive rights as its revenue projections depend on these projects.

OUTA challenge the AARTO Act

The latest legal challenge facing the South African Post Office was brought by the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA).

The organisation, which took on e-tolls and won, first challenged the AARTO rollout on the basis that the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) had not announced the appointment of the members of the AARTO Appeals Tribunal.

I had also not announced the names of the tribunal, which acts as an independent body that motorists could approach to review infringements they wanted to dispute.

While it did provide some details about the Appeals Tribunal’s members and its recruitment processes, OUTA is demanding more information.

The organisation said that while the details remove one of the grounds upon which it intended to seek urgent relief, it raised additional fundamental concerns about transparency and accountability.

“The public should never have been left wondering whether the Appeals Tribunal existed, who served on it, or how motorists would exercise their right to appeal under the amended AARTO system,” OUTA said.

Advocate Stefanie Fick, OUTA executive director for accountability, said that the question moved past whether the tribunal existed and instead focused on the transparency of its membership.

She said that the most obvious question is why it took potential litigation for the information to be disclosed, and added that the RTIA should have been more forthcoming about the authority that decides on appeals.

Fick added that OUTA is concerned about the Post Office’s role in the AARTO system, and the indication that notices would be delivered digitally instead of physically did not allay the organisation’s concerns.

“OUTA remains concerned about the implementation of AARTO, including the service of notices, given the current condition of the South African Post Office,” Fick said.

She added that several questions remained, including reliability, legal compliance, proof of service, data accuracy, and motorists’ access.