Aarto postponed yet again as municipalities are unprepared

The new law that will introduce a points demerit system for traffic violations will not become operational as planned. This time the postponement is due to municipal law enforcement not being ready.

- By Estelle Ellis

Two weeks left before the Aarto roll-out in metros and smaller municipalities, Minister of transport Barbara Creecy has said that some local governments are still not ready. Photo: Sharon Seretlo/Gallo Images

(Sharon Seretlo Gallo Images)

Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy and her deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa, have deferred the implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act to 1 July 2026.

Creecy said on Monday that South Africa's driver’s licence demerit system, which was scheduled to come into effect on 1 December, will now be postponed to next year because some municipalities assessed are not ready. The implementation of Aarto was due to begin in staggered phases.