Today, I wrote to Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula to raise concerns regarding the readiness of the Road Traffic Infringement Authority (“RTIA”) to implement the AARTO Act and to confirm the position previously recorded by my Department and this Ministry.
President Cyril Ramaphosa signed the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Amendment (AARTO) Act into law on 13 August 2019.
The Western Cape Government supports the motivation for AARTO and is strongly supportive of a points demerit system to improve driver behavior.
My Department and I are keen to implement any effective measure which will reduce road traffic injuries.
I am, however, concerned by the number of announcements of the rollout of AARTO which have not materialized between 16 April 2011, the date first announced for the rollout of AARTO, and June 2020, the date given for the intended rollout, prior to the current rollout date of 1 July 2021 as gazetted by Minister Mbalula.
My immediate concern is that we have been severely hindered in our ability to plan meaningfully for the announced rollout of AARTO today, 1 July 2021particularly with regard to the training of our traffic officers.
This is a result of the fact that:
- The applicable Regulations have not been finalised. This effectively makes it impossible for the Department to prepare in a systematic manner for the rollout. We cannot develop a real-world start date for implementation without the Regulations having been finalised.
- The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) has yet to provide the necessary training materials to my Department. The Traffic Training and the Development Directorate has been promised these materials for some time. Without the actual content, it is not possible for my officials to prepare a timeline for delivery. It is not possible to prepare for the training of over 500 officers without having sight of what and how they are to be trained on. The logistical exercise alone, particularly if it proves to be fruitless, due to the materials not forthcoming at all, will be costly and place an enormous demand on my staff and enormous strain on road safety. This is especially so when one considers the broader implication of the need to train municipal law enforcement officials from the City of Cape Town and the 24 local municipalities in the Western Cape.
I am also deeply concerned about the state of readiness of the systems necessary for the implementation of the Act.
I urge Minister Mbalula to reconsider the current rollout date. My plea is that we negotiate a methodically determined, practical and realistic date for the implementation of AARTO. Alongside that negotiation, we must find common ground on certain aspects of the legislation and its regulations that remain deeply problematic.
Media Queries:
Ntomboxolo Makoba-Somdaka
Spokesperson for Minister Daylin Mitchell
Cell: 082 953 0026
Email: Ntomboxolo.Makoba-Somdaka@westerncape.gov.za