Aarto kick-in date unclear

Spokesperson: Time for Implementation of Amendment Act Still Tentative

- Antoinette Slabbert

The 1 December date for implementing the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Amendment Act in 69 municipalities countrywide, and the names of those municipalities, is still tentative, says Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) spokesperson Monde Mkalipi.

The current list includes all the metro councils and the larger towns and cities in all provinces.

The RTIA, an agency of the department of transport, administers the Aarto Act and its amended version.

It became operational in 2010, but the RTIA has been unable to implement parts of Aarto beyond Johannesburg and Tshwane.

Several deadlines for country-wide implementation have been missed and postponed.

The Aarto Amendment Act, which was presented as making necessary changes to enable countrywide implementation, has been signed by President Cyril Ramaphosa, but he has yet to promulgate the date on which it becomes operational.

Before that can happen, he must also appoint an appeals board as required by the Act.

Confusion around timing Confusion followed Deputy Minister of Transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa's announcement during his budget speech earlier this month that Aarto will be implemented in 69 municipalities on 1 October, and the other 144 on 1 February next year.

His speech has since been "corrected" on the department's website to change the October date to 1 December.