OUTA Warns SA Motorists Could Get Fines for Offences They Did Not Commit Under AARTO

• OUTA CEO Wayne Duvenage raised the alarm over number plate cloning under the new AARTO traffic system
• OUTA and SALGA both launched urgent High Court applications to halt Phase 2 of the AARTO rollout
• A Pretoria court dismissed SALGA's application, but the organisation said the legal fight was far from over

Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) CEO Wayne Duvenage has raised serious concerns about South African motorists being penalised for traffic violations that were never theirs to begin with. Speaking to Newzroom Afrika, Duvenage pointed to number plate cloning as one of the most pressing risks under the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) system, which entered its next phase of rollout on 1 July 2026.

He explained that problems also arise when vehicles change hands, and registration records are not updated in time, leaving previous owners exposed to fines linked to cars they no longer own.

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The consequences stretch beyond inconvenience. Duvenage warned that drivers who depend on their licences for work face real job insecurity if demerit points accumulate incorrectly. OUTA filed an urgent High Court application seeking to suspend Phase 2 of the AARTO rollout, which covers 62 municipalities, arguing that the government had activated enforcement without putting the required legal safeguards in place. Central to its concern is the absence of a functioning Appeals Tribunal, the body motorists must approach when contesting an infringement.

Municipalities warn of financial strain

According to My Broadband, the South African Local Government Association (SALGA) also raised red flags ahead of the rollout, filing its own urgent application at the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria. The organisation argued that the financial model behind AARTO placed an unsustainable burden on municipalities, particularly those already struggling under tight fiscal conditions.

SALGA said the regulations published in October 2025 would see municipalities spending more than they could recover, effectively forcing local government to fund the implementation of a national system at the expense of essential services. The Pretoria High Court heard SALGA's application on 30 June 2026 and dismissed it, citing a lack of urgency. However, the organisation made clear the matter was not closed. SALGA chairperson of the Public Transport and Roads Working Group, Sebang Motlhabi, said the core issues remained unresolved.

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3 Other Briefly News stories about traffic fines

• South Africa's new AARTO traffic fine system officially kicked off in 62 municipalities on 1 July 2026.
• Chris got stopped by traffic officers for breaking a rule of the road and received a hefty fine.
• A Johannesburg content creator danced beside a traffic officer while facing a possible fine.

Source: Briefly News