South Africa has less than a month to go until the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (AARTO) is introduced nationwide.
AARTO will make fundamental changes to South Africa’s traffic laws, introducing a new system for issuing and processing traffic fines for various infringements.
It has been in the pipeline for years but has been pushed back several times due to administrative hurdles and pushback from road experts, political parties, and civil organisations.
There are also concerns regarding the implementation of the new system, which has led to further delays.
AARTO was previously scheduled to launch on 1 December 2025, but this date has since been moved to 1 July 2026.
According to the Department of Transport, the plans were delayed because internal investigations had concluded that several municipalities were not ready to implement the new road laws.
Assuming AARTO isn’t delayed yet again, the first phase of the rollout will begin next month.
The system will be launched in stages, starting with 62 of South Africa’s largest municipalities.
The remaining 151 municipalities will be added to the system in the third financial quarter, between October and December 2026.
As for the controversial driver’s licence demerit system, it was meant to launch on 1 September 2026, but this was under the original AARTO timeline that began on 1 December 2025.
The demerit system has since been pushed back and is only expected to be implemented by April 2027 at the earliest, though this has yet to be confirmed by the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA).
One of the most important aspects of AARTO is that it will change the way traffic offences are handled.
Under the new system, violations will be split into two categories based on their severity.
Minor cases are classified as infringements and will be dealt with administratively by the RTIA.
More serious actions, on the other hand, are classified as offences where motorists have to go through the legal system.
This is in contrast to the current system, where almost every municipality handles traffic violations as offences under the Criminal Procedure Act.
Once the demerit system is introduced, motorists will receive points on their licence in addition to the usual fines.
More severe actions will be allocated more points. Once a motorist receives 15 or more points, their licence will be suspended.
Calls to fix AARTO before it goes live in South Africa
Fines4U, a traffic infringement management specialist, has written to Transport Minister Barbara Creecy to address procedural compliance issues within the AARTO system before the rollout begins next month.
The company has also submitted formal correspondence requesting the conclusion of outstanding matters linked to a 2017 High Court order before the next phase of implementation proceeds.
It has formally requested that the matter of Fines4U (Pty) Ltd and Another v Deputy Registrar, Road Traffic Infringement Agency and Others be addressed no later than 1 July 2026.
Fines4U said that complying with the order would help the Transport Department to build the public trust needed for the national system to succeed.
Its main concern is that there are unresolved procedural shortcomings that will present issues for motorists seeking to exercise their rights under AARTO.
“At the centre of the issue is the question of what happens when the procedural requirements set out in the AARTO Act and Regulations are not followed,” said Fines4U.
Additionally, the company argued infringement notices and enforcement orders should not proceed if the issuing authority or the agency failed to comply with the prescribed processes.
Fines4U clarified that it does not oppose AARTO itself and that it supports the new road laws. However, it noted that the legislation must be applied consistently and fairly to succeed.
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