AARTO is already switched on in 62 municipalities across South Africa. The part most drivers are bracing for, the demerit points system, isn’t live anywhere yet. A widely shared 1 September 2026 start date was quietly withdrawn back in November 2025.
That gap between what people think is happening and what’s actually in force is where most of the confusion, and most of the wasted worry, comes from.
AARTO, the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act, changes how South Africa handles routine traffic infringements.
It moves most of them out of the courts and into an administrative points-based system.
Fred Bezuidenhout, CEO at Trafico, set out exactly what’s live right now, what’s still to come, and what to do if an infringement notice lands in your inbox.
TL;DR
- AARTO Phase 2 (infringement notices, courtesy letters, and enforcement orders) has been live in 62 municipalities since 1 July 2026, alongside Johannesburg and Tshwane, which have run under AARTO since 2008.
- The demerit points system itself is not active anywhere. The reported 1 September 2026 start date relied on a proclamation withdrawn in November 2025; there’s no confirmed replacement date, and realistic guidance now points to 2027.
- Phase 3 extends AARTO to the remaining roughly 151 municipalities, expected before the end of 2026.
- OUTA has filed an urgent High Court application over Phase 2, arguing enforcement started before the independent Appeals Tribunal was operational. That matters if you need to dispute a notice.
- Get an AARTO infringement notice and you have 32 days to pay at a 50% discount, submit a written representation, nominate the actual driver, or arrange instalments. The old option to elect a criminal court trial has been repealed. Disputes now go through the AARTO Appeals Tribunal instead.
What Is AARTO?
AARTO stands for the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act. Routine traffic offences used to go through a criminal court process under the old Criminal Procedure Act.
AARTO moves them into an administrative process instead: an infringement notice, a chance to pay or respond, and demerit points on your licence once the final phase switches on.
The Constitutional Court upheld AARTO’s constitutionality in July 2023.
The legal foundation isn’t in question, says Fred Bezuidenhout.
What’s still unfolding is the rollout itself, delayed and re-phased more than once since the Act was first piloted in Johannesburg and Tshwane. Take note that this was back in 2008.
What’s Actually in Force Right Now
As of September 2026, AARTO’s administrative machinery (infringement notices, courtesy letters, and enforcement orders) is active in 60 municipalities, on top of the long-running Johannesburg and Tshwane pilot.
Download the PDF indicating the additional 60 municipalities.
The Western Cape was largely excluded (as expected) from this July 2026 phase.
Municipalities brought into force in this phase include Ekurhuleni, eThekwini (Durban), Nelson Mandela Bay, Mangaung, and Buffalo City, alongside a wider list of metros and district municipalities.
What is not in force anywhere yet is the demerit points system, sections 24 to 28 of the AARTO Act.
No driver anywhere in South Africa is currently accumulating demerit points, not even in Johannesburg or Tshwane. That’s true regardless of what a notice or a news headline might suggest to South African motorists.
There’s also an active legal challenge worth knowing about. The civil action group OUTA has taken Phase 2 to the High Court on an urgent basis.
Its argument: the government switched on enforcement before the independent Appeals Tribunal, the body meant to hear disputes, was actually operational.
OUTA isn’t challenging AARTO itself. The Constitutional Court already settled that in 2023.
The challenge is about whether this specific phase was implemented properly.
The following is a message from Fred Bezuidenhout, CEO of Trafico:
“We have since the 1st of July 2026 seen a few infringements occur in the new AARTO areas.
Handwritten fines have been issued in: Ladysmith, Pinetown, Mthata and Polokwane.
Camera fines have occurred in Polokwane. We are still monitoring the digital service aspect of this to ensure that legal procedures and timelines are kept by the authorities.
It is paramount for road users to stop ignoring fines, get into the routine to regularly check your outstanding infringements so you can act and minimise the risk that it can evolve to.
Fleet owners will have to manage their fine exposure timeously.
If the demerit system is implemented, then the points will be allocated to the vehicle in your fleet and become non operational once the vehicle exceeds 15 points.
The window for redirection is small and calls for diligent driver logs.
Integration with Trafico will allow you to keep your fleet on the road and your drivers accountable.”
The AARTO Rollout Timeline (as of September 2026)
| Phase | What it covers | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Phase 1 | Internal systems and eNATIS integration; Johannesburg and Tshwane operating under the original AARTO pilot | Complete, pilot running since 2008 |
| Phase 2 | Infringement notices, courtesy letters, and enforcement orders in 62 municipalities | Live since 1 July 2026 |
| Phase 3 | Extends AARTO’s administrative process to the remaining approximately 151 municipalities | Expected before the end of 2026 |
| Phase 4 | Demerit points system goes live nationwide | No confirmed date, realistic estimates point to 2027 |
Treat any specific demerit-points start date you see elsewhere with caution unless it’s tied to an actual government gazette notice.
The last widely reported date was withdrawn months before it was due to take effect, which has proven to be a common theme.
Got an AARTO Infringement Notice? Here’s What to Do
If the alleged offence was committed in a municipality falls under Phase 2, an infringement notice works differently to the traffic fine you might be used to.
One option you may remember from years ago no longer exists: electing a criminal court trial was repealed under the amended Act.
Within 32 days of the notice, you can instead:
- Pay the fine at a 50% discount: the reduced rate only applies inside the 32-day window.
- Submit a written representation (AARTO 08 form): formally dispute the notice, for example if you weren’t the driver or the notice contains an error.
- Nominate the actual driver: if someone else was driving your vehicle.
- Arrange instalment payments (AARTO 04 form): for the full amount, without disputing it.
Miss the 32-day window, and a courtesy letter follows: the 50% discount falls away, a R60 penalty is added, and you get a second 32-day window to pay or represent.
Miss that too, and an Enforcement Order is issued, incurring a second R60 penalty. This blocks NATIS transactions like licence renewals until it’s resolved. Once demerit points are switched on, it also adds points to the driver’s record.
If a representation is rejected, the next step is the AARTO Appeals Tribunal, not a court.
You’ll need an AARTO 10(a) form, generally within 30 days. Because the Tribunal wasn’t fully staffed and operational when Phase 2 went live, OUTA’s (legal challenge) specifically concerns whether that route is actually available to motorists yet in practice.
Keeping a paper trail of anything you submit; it’s your constitutional right to contest a traffic fine.
For a serious dispute, get advice from a qualified attorney or Trafico’s compliance team.
For what happens when infringements go unresolved for too long, see warrants of arrest and roadblocks in South Africa.
How the Demerit Points System Will Work (Once It’s Live)
Nothing below is active yet.
Phase 4 will apply once the proclamation has been gazetted.
- Each infringement carries a demerit value of between one and six points, depending on severity.
- Reach 16 points, and your driving licence is suspended.
- Points reduce over time if you stay infringement-free, under a system similar to several other countries’ point-based licensing models.
- Professional drivers and fleet operators are expected to feel this first and hardest, since commercial licences carry more exposure across more vehicles and more drivers.
Once a confirmed Phase 4 date is gazetted, this section will be the first thing on this page to update.
Check back, or follow Trafico’s own AARTO service page for the latest on the AARTO rollout.
Checking and Paying AARTO Fines Online
Two separate systems matter here, and mixing them up is a common source of confusion:
- AARTO login and infringement checks: Check through the official AARTO login system using your ID (for individuals). If you are a proxy of a business you would need to use the BRNC number of the company, if the offence was committed in a phase 2 or phase 3 municipality. Notices will be sent digitally.
- Trafico’s dashboard: skip the government portal and the manual tracking. Trafico’s platform consolidates traffic fines, AARTO infringement notices, and licence renewal dates in one place, with reminders before a representation window closes.
If you’re not sure whether a notice is even legitimate, don’t act on a link in an SMS or email.
Go directly to the official channel or visit Trafico’s AARTO updates first.
How Trafico Keeps You Compliant Through the Rollout
AARTO’s phased rollout means the rules for a given vehicle depends on which municipality the offence was committed in.
That gets complicated fast for a fleet, and confusing even for a single private vehicle owner trying to track a changing set of dates.
Trafico’s AARTO service:
- Tracks infringement notices as they’re issued.
- Flags representation deadlines before they lapse.
- Keep a compliance record so you’re not caught out when Phase 3, or eventually Phase 4, reaches your area.
For businesses running multiple vehicles, this matters even more!
If a vehicle is registered in a company’s name the demerits points will be allocated to the vehicle, and if it exceeds 15 points the vehicle will lose its license disc or operator card
The business will not be allowed to use those assets in the company.
It is critical to redirect the infringement notice in the prescribed time to the actual driver to protect your assets.
One missed representation window on one vehicle can cascade into an enforcement order while nobody’s watching.
If your fleet’s licence renewals are also due for a check, see our guide on vehicle licence and disc renewal.
It’s one of the easiest compliance items to let slip once AARTO deadlines start competing for attention.
