Latest news with #Aarto
The Citizen
23-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Citizen
Aarto implementation date of 1 December ‘still tentative'
Is your municipality one of the 69? Serial offenders will be at risk of losing their driver's licences. Picture: Moneyweb Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) spokesperson Monde Mkalipi says 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. The current list of municipalities – which you can view here – includes all the metro councils and the larger towns and cities in all provinces. The RTIA, an agency of the Department of Transport (DoT), 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 countrywide 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. ALSO READ: Aarto demerit points system to be implemented by mid-2025 – Nada 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 DoT website to change the October date to 1 December. The February date for the final roll-out remains unchanged. However, Mkalipi says there will only be certainty once the promulgation has been made and announced in the Government Gazette. He says consultation must still be finalised, 'including with the municipalities'. Hlengwa's published statement now reads that Aarto 'will be rolled out in different phases according to municipal readiness from 1 December 2025 for the 69 municipalities that are ready for the rollout'. 'This is Phase 2 of the Aarto rollout programme, while Phase 3 will be rolled out on 1 February 2026 for the 144 municipalities that will only be ready then.' ALSO READ: Driving licence points demerit system still 'a long way off' The legislation has been in operation in Tshwane and Johannesburg since 2008. Still, the points demerit system provided for in the legislation will only be operational once Aarto is in effect countrywide. This will constitute the fourth and final stage, says Mkalipi. Once the act is in full operation, serial offenders will be at risk of losing their driver's licences if they exceed a certain number of demerit points and fail to mend their ways. If the rollout progresses according to the deputy minister's target dates, it will only be after a long series of false starts. Initially, municipalities and other stakeholders expressed considerable resistance, often accompanied by threats of litigation. There were also concerns about the readiness of municipalities to administer the complex system. Some of the concerns seem to have been addressed in the Amendment Act – and Hlengwa seems confident that the 69 municipalities are now ready for implementation on 1 December. ALSO READ: RTIA says Aarto Act implementation will increase municipalities' income 'No point without points demerits' JP Smith, Cape Town MMC for safety and security, says the city will have no choice but to implement Aarto if it is included in the proclamation. However, he is very critical of its implementation without the points demerit system. 'This is the only useful part of the act. Implementing without it will be an impediment to law enforcement. 'It is like me giving you an ice cream, but I only hand you the cone.' Smith says the city is relying on the fact that it can still use its current bylaw to prosecute traffic transgressions. ALSO READ: Court misconstrued Aarto Act when declaring it unconstitutional, says RTMC Unresolved issues Gavin Kelly, CEO of the Road Freight Association, says much discussion still needs to happen before the Aarto Amendment Act can be implemented. 'We sent a lot of comments when new regulations were issued for comment in 2019, and they haven't come back to us about it. Maybe they will go ahead anyway,' he says. The points demerit system is the essence of Aarto. Kelly says implementing without it will change how municipalities issue contravention notices. 'If the authorities start issuing Aarto paperwork, they will still be accountable in court if they don't follow due process – and we don't see that [due process] in Johannesburg and Tshwane.' He says issues about how vehicle fleets are dealt with in the Aarto process, including attaching points to vehicles, have not been resolved. ALSO READ: Like it or not, demerit points are coming 'You cannot change the behaviour of vehicles. You must change the behaviour of drivers.' Kelly says the authorities are trying to make money by, for example, charging fees to access the status on the points demerit system. 'In other countries, anybody can at any time access the points free of charge.' Employers must also be allowed to see how many points have been awarded against their drivers, but with the fees that have been proposed 'some companies will go bankrupt by paying access fees'. Advocate Stefanie Fick, executive director for accountability at Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse, says transitional measures must be published to guide stakeholders when the Aarto Amendment Act becomes operational, and regulations governing the act must determine how it will operate. This article was republished from Moneyweb. Read the original here.
The Citizen
21-07-2025
- The Citizen
Police sweep Rietgat, Soshanguve in major crime bust
Police in the Tshwane metro arrested more than 300 suspects for various crimes over the weekend. The high-density operation ran from July 19, aimed at increasing police visibility with continued actions by addressing crime in Tshwane, focused on the Rietgat and Soshanguve policing precincts. The multidisciplinary operation was led by the District Commissioner of Tshwane, Major-General Samuel Thine. It comprised different stakeholders, including SAPS, the Department of Home Affairs, National Traffic Police, TMPD, Gauteng Traffic police and wardens, the Department of Community Safety and representatives of the local CPF. Police spokesperson Johan van Dyk stated that the combined effort resulted in the arrest of 343 suspects for various criminal offences. 'These results are a direct outcome of planning, strategic deployments and heightened visibility aimed at reducing crime and continued track and tracing of wanted suspects,' he said. Van Dyk said detective teams were responsible for the arrest of more than 200 suspects on Saturday night alone. 'Tshwane District detectives executed the first phase of the operation and were responsible for 254 arrests. These included 70 suspects for gender-based violence-related offences, 4 for murder, 3 for attempted murder, 9 for armed robbery, 1 for impersonating a police officer, 27 for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm and 6 for rape.' A roadblock was set up in Soshanguve, and two operational teams were deployed in the policing areas, resulting in the detention of 29 undocumented foreign nationals. They are currently being processed by immigration authorities for deportation. Van Dyk said that during the operation, 926 individuals and 418 vehicles were searched, adding that '27 people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol.' He said crime hotspots that were raided led to the arrest of more suspects. 'Targeted patrols were conducted at 21 identified crime hotspots, leading to further arrests, including 19 persons for public drinking and 4 suspects for possession of drugs when several bags containing crystal meth were found in their possession.' Traffic enforcement units issued 57 Aarto infringement notices, totalling R76 000 in fines. Van Dyk said 16 spaza shops were inspected, with 22 liquor compliance inspections being carried out at various establishments, resulting in six being closed. He said that alcohol and two gambling machines were confiscated. Major-General Thine commended all participating stakeholders for their continued co-operation. Thine also thanked the citizens of Tshwane for their words of encouragement and support. He assured the residents and emphasised that disruptive crime-combatting operations will continue across Tshwane. Members of the public are encouraged to report suspicious activities to SAPS Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or via the MySAPS App. ALSO READ: Local farmers market remains popular in Pretoria Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
14-07-2025
- The Citizen
Tshwane weekend operation nets 328 in Silverton and Garsfontein
In a bid to combat crime, the SAPS in Tshwane continued with its disruptive weekend crime operations in Silverton and Garsfontein policing precinct on July 12. The multidisciplinary operation was a planned intervention aimed at addressing crime in the Tshwane metro. It took place under the leadership of the District Commissioner of Tshwane, Major-General Samuel Thine. Warrant Officer Marinda Austin said that the operation was a collaborative effort comprising law enforcement agencies, including SAPS, the Department of Home Affairs, Tshwane Metro Police Department, Gauteng Traffic Police, Gauteng Traffic Wardens, and representatives of the local CPF. 'This combined effort resulted in the overall arrest of 328 suspects for criminal offences. These results are a direct outcome of planning, strategic deployments and heightened visibility aimed at reducing crime and continued track and tracing of wanted suspects,' said Austin. She said detective teams were responsible for more than 200 of the arrests made on Saturday night. 'The detectives were responsible for 234 arrests: 120 suspects were arrested for contact crime, which includes 1 for murder, 2 for attempted murder, 6 for armed robbery, 5 for common robbery, 19 for assault grievous bodily harm (GBH), 12 for assault for gender-based violence (GBV) under the Domestic Violence Act. Thirty-three people were arrested for common assault, 35 for common assault under the Domestic Violence Act, 6 for rape and 1 for sexual assault.' Austin said a roadblock with operational teams in the Silverton precinct resulted in the detention of 39 undocumented foreign nationals, who are now being processed by immigration authorities. 'During the operation, 967 individuals and 633 vehicles were searched.' Other arrests included 13 suspects for property-related crimes that included burglary at residences and theft out of and from motor vehicles, 18 people for driving under the influence of alcohol and 15 people for public drinking. Austin added that targeted patrols were conducted at 13 identified crime hotspots, leading to further arrests and the issuing of 21 534 fines of R17 200. Traffic enforcement units issued six Aarto infringement notices, totalling R3 750 in fines. Liquor compliance inspections were carried out at four establishments, and liquor was confiscated. Major-General Thine thanked all participating stakeholders for their continued co-operation and commitment to enhancing community safety. He encouraged members of the public to report suspicious activities to Crime Stop on 08600 10111 or via the MySAPS App. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
The Citizen
07-07-2025
- The Citizen
Tshwane crime sweep targets hotspots, 361 arrested
In a bid to combat crime in the Tshwane metro, the SAPS continued with its crime weekend operations. This weekend's operation took place from July 5 in Mamelodi East. According to SAPS spokesperson Warrant Officer Marinda Austin, the operation aimed at addressing crime in the metro. The operation was a collaborative effort, comprising various law enforcement stakeholders, including SAPS members, the Department of Home Affairs, the Tshwane Metro Police Department, Gauteng Traffic Police, Gauteng Traffic Wardens, and representatives of the local Community Policing Forum. Marinda emphasised that the combined efforts saw the police arrest 108 suspects for various criminal offences. Detectives were responsible for the arrests of 253 suspects, including 85 suspects for gender-based violence-related offences, three for murder, and one for attempted murder and armed robbery. Ninety people were arrested for assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm or common assault, and five for rape. She said that these results are a direct outcome of planning, strategic deployments, and heightened visibility aimed at reducing crime and continued tracking and tracing of wanted suspects. 'A roadblock with two operational teams deployed across the Mamelodi and Mamelodi East areas resulted in the detention of 41 undocumented foreign nationals, who are currently being processed by immigration authorities,' Marinda explained. She said that during the operation, 1 100 individuals and 620 vehicles were searched. A total of 27 people were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. Marinda also highlighted that the results were achieved by the police during the patrols in crime hotspot areas during the operation. 'Targeted patrols were conducted at 18 identified crime hotspots, leading to further arrests and the issuing of fines, including 15 persons for public drinking. Two stolen vehicles were also recovered,' she said. She added that the traffic enforcement units issued six Aarto infringement notices, totalling R3 750 in fines. 'Liquor compliance inspections were carried out at 18 establishments, resulting in 12 being closed for non-compliance,' she said. Liquor and two music sound systems were confiscated Major-General Samuel Thine, Tshwane District police commissioner, thanked all participating stakeholders for their continued co-operation, and commitment to enhancing community safety in Tshwane. Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to [email protected] or phone us on 083 625 4114. For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord's websites: Rekord East For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram or TikTok. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TimesLIVE
13-06-2025
- Automotive
- TimesLIVE
JMPD clamping down on suburban speedsters
If you have observed an increase in traffic law infringement fines in lower-speed residential roads in your post or e-mail, specifically for speeds of 70km/h to 80km/h, the Joburg metro police department (JMPD) has confirmed it is monitoring sub-streets. Motor News was alerted by a reader who noticed more traffic fines from less congested suburb roads — and a worrying trend of Aarto infringement notices from two different sources: PayFine and PayCity. On the matter of speed law monitoring, JMPD spokesperson Xolani Fihla said the observation about an increase in traffic speed fines issued for suburban roads (specifically for speeds of 70km/h to 80km/h in 60km/h zones) is correct. 'The JMPD continuously monitors and enforces speed limits across all road classifications, including suburban areas, as part of our commitment to road safety and reducing accidents,' he said. 'Our enforcement efforts do involve partnerships. The JMPD has a contract with Syntel for the provision of advanced law enforcement and crash management. The partnership assists us with aspects of traffic law enforcement, which can include the processing and issuance of infringement notices.'
