Aarto postponement shows government’s chaos — Outa

The delay with Aarto’s postponement shows the government’s chaos and confirms Outa’s long-standing warnings that it is unworkable, opaque and poorly administered.

Wayne Duvenage, CEO of civil action organisation Outa, says the 2026 deferment confirms long-standing warnings about a broken system rushed through without public consultation and published with unreadable regulations.

“The latest regulations were rushed through without proper public participation and include pages of unreadable text in the Government Gazette of 31 October 2025. Several municipalities have indicated they wish to withdraw from the system, citing high costs, confusion and poor alignment with road-safety goals.”

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Outa welcomes that government recognised Aarto is not ready for implementation

Duvenage says Outa welcomes government’s recognition that the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) system is not ready for implementation. “This delay was inevitable. Aarto was never ready, not in 2020, not in 2024 and certainly not now. These repeated postponements confirm what we have warned all along: the system is unworkable in its current form.”

Outa tracked Aarto’s development for over a decade, consistently raising concerns about its practicality, transparency and alignment with the principles of fair administration. “We support any system that improves road safety and encourages motorists to obey the law, but regulation must be clear, fair and functional. Aarto fails that test.”

He points out that the latest regulations, rushed through without proper public participation, only deepened concerns. “The new version represents a complete rewrite of the regulations, first published for public comment in 2020, far beyond the usual refinements that follow public input.

“To make matters worse, the most recent amendments, published in the Government Gazette of 31 October 2025, include pages of unreadable text in the very schedules that list offences, fines and demerit points.

“Citizens cannot comply with laws they cannot read. That is not enforcement, it is confusion.”

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Several municipalities want to withdraw from Aarto

Several municipalities already indicated they wish to withdraw from the system. “They can see the risks of a bureaucratic and costly process that will not make our roads safer but will frustrate law-abiding motorists and strain local resources.

“This postponement should be used to get Aarto right. If government is serious about road safety, it must return to the drawing board, build a transparent, practical system that supports enforcement, earns public trust and genuinely saves lives.”

Duvenage says Outa will continue to monitor developments and challenge any process that undermines citizens’ rights or good governance.