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GOVERNMENT ANNOUNCES LAUNCH DATES FOR SA’S NEW TRAFFIC FINES SYSTEM IN 213 MUNICIPALITIES
The Department of Transport on Friday 1 August gazetted new commencement dates for the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (AATRO), including a launch for the driving demerit system.
The announcement was made in the national government gazette, whereby different sections of the Act will come into effect between December 2025 and September 2026.
The AARTO system has been operating in metros like Johannesburg and Tshwane for years, but the government has long-held plans to roll the system out nationally.
The rollout has been beset with delays even though the system got the go-ahead from South Africa’s apex court after legal challenges on Constitutional grounds. The ConCourt ruled that the new Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act system for handling traffic infringements, incorporating a demerit system for reckless drivers was in fact valid and constitutional.
The latest gazette brings final clarity to the matter, with 1 December and 1 April being the commencement of sections related to the rollout.
1 December 2025 list of municipalities for AARTO
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Open in new tab 1 April 2026 list of municipalities for AARTO
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AARTO DEMERIT SYSTEM TO LAUNCH 1 SEPTEMBER – READY OR NOT
The phased national rollout of the Aarto Act has finally been gazetted.
This follows the publication of three notices related to the phased national rollout of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act in the Government Gazette on Friday 1 August.
Aarto has for several years been operational only in the municipalities of Johannesburg and Tshwane as part of a pilot project to test the system’s operation.
The first phase of the national rollout of Aarto commenced from 1 July 2021. The second phase, the national rollout, officially starts on 1 December 2025 and includes Aarto’s introduction in 69 municipalities. The third phase involves introducing Aarto to the remaining 144 municipalities on 1 April 2026.
Expect a bumpy ride
The Department of Transport (DoT) initially planned to have Aarto fully implemented by July 2024. There still appear to be issues that might delay its national rollout, as anticipated in the Government Gazette notices … [read more]