AfriPulse
Calls from civil society to scrap AARTO are mounting after numerous postponements of the troubled traffic-offences amendments. Many are drawing inevitable parallels with the fate that befell the equally controversial Gauteng e-toll project decades ago. Currently, AARTO’s official national rollout is set for Wednesday 1 July 2026.
However, let’s not forget that the nationwide launch was initially scheduled for 1 December 2025. Upon which government said a postponement to assess municipal readiness was required. It’s since come to light how much attention is still required if authorities choose not to scrap AARTO altogether …
CALLS TO SCRAP AARTO GATHER PACE
Principally, there’s been minimal training of law enforcement and back-office personnel on AARTO. Likewise, detractors warn the new system does not harmonise with existing municipal systems and will create massive funding shortfalls. Worse still, amongst all this, the much-talked about demerit points system – its headline feature – does not yet have a confirmed launch date in the performance plan.
According to the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA), the next phase of the rollout will expand to additional 144 municipalities from 1 October 2026. All 213 municipal issuing authorities are expected to be active by 1 January 2027. Finally, the department hopes to start issuing demerit notices in the 2027/28 financial year (after 1 April 2027).
REPEATED DELAYS IN IMPLEMENTATION
Numerous delays have drawn sharp criticism and amplified calls to scrap AARTO. Beyond civil society, political parties have also weighed in. The Freedom Front Plus says the postponement signals that AARTO is heading the same way as Gauteng’s e-toll system. Years of public rejection and legal challenges saw that scheme quietly wound down ahead of the 2024 elections. The party says AARTO has developed a similar legitimacy crisis.
Moreover, the pilot phase in Gauteng (since the late 2000s) has been riddled with administrative failures. Fines have been issued late, dispatched incorrectly or not sent at all. Authorities were at one point ordered by a court to stop attempting to enforce those invalid fines. Critics say many motorists still do not receive fines by post or email, yet face demands for payment when renewing vehicle licences.
SHOULD GOVERNMENT SCRAP AARTO?
Is AARTO just another e-toll scheme motorists will simply ignore? Let us know in the comments section below … Image: File
Likewise, civil action group OUTA has added its voice to calls to scrap AARTO. It is concerned about the integrity of the regulations underpinning the system itself. Amendments published in the Government Gazette of 31 October 2025 included pages of unreadable text. “Citizens simply cannot comply with laws they cannot read. That’s not enforcement; that’s confusion,” said OUTA.
Meanwhile, several municipalities have reportedly indicated they wish to withdraw from the system altogether. Mostly in the DA-run Western Cape, they cite the bureaucratic and financial burden it would impose. Crit
Source: The South African | Read the Full Story…
