South Africa has entered the next stage of its long-planned traffic law reform after President Cyril Ramaphosa officially proclaimed the wider implementation of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Act.
From 1 July 2026, the legislation will become operational in 62 municipalities, extending the country’s administrative traffic enforcement system while postponing the introduction of the long-awaited demerit points programme.
The latest proclamation, published through the Department of Transport, forms part of the government’s broader effort to standardise traffic law enforcement across South Africa and improve the handling of road traffic infringements.
For motorists, the immediate changes focus on administrative processes rather than licence penalties, as the demerit points system remains scheduled for a later phase.
AARTO Expansion Brings More Municipalities Into National System
Two Government Gazettes were issued to formalise the latest rollout.
The first activates several key provisions of the AARTO Act in 60 municipalities. These provisions establish procedures for issuing infringement notices, processing penalties, managing representations from motorists and administering traffic offence records.
However, Section 24 of the Act—which introduces the driving demerit points system—has not yet been brought into operation.
The expansion covers several major metropolitan areas, including Buffalo City, Nelson Mandela Bay, Mangaung, the City of Ekurhuleni and Durban.
Johannesburg and Tshwane were not included in this portion of the rollout because both metropolitan municipalities have already been operating under the AARTO framework for several years.
A second Government Gazette simultaneously brought almost the entire AARTO Amendment Act into force across all 62 municipalities, including Johannesburg and Tshwane. Only Section 2(g) of the amendment legislation remains excluded.
The amendments update various administrative provisions and strengthen the legal framework supporting the nationwide implementation of the system.
Demerit Points Still Expected In Later Phase
The latest rollout represents the delayed beginning of Phase Two of South Africa’s national AARTO implementation strategy.
Originally scheduled to commence in December 2025, the expansion was postponed after the Department of Transport concluded that many municipalities were not adequately prepared for full implementation.
An official readiness assessment identified several shortcomings, including incomplete integration between municipal law enforcement systems, staffing challenges within administrative offices, and the need for additional training of enforcement personnel.
As a result, government delayed the programme by approximately six months to allow municipalities more time to prepare.
Phase One primarily focused on establishing the necessary infrastructure, service centres and operational systems needed to support AARTO nationwide.
Phase Two officially begins on 1 July 2026 and will now include 62 municipalities, slightly fewer than the 69 initially planned.
Government expects Phase Three to commence during the final quarter of 2026, expanding the system to another 151 municipalities across the country.
One of the most anticipated elements of the reform—the national driving demerit points system—has yet to receive an official implementation date. Authorities currently expect it to become operational during 2027.
Once fully implemented, the demerit system will assign penalty points for traffic offences, with repeat offenders facing possible licence suspensions or cancellations after exceeding prescribed thresholds.
The gradual rollout reflects the government’s strategy of ensuring municipalities have sufficient administrative capacity before introducing one of the most significant changes to South Africa’s road traffic enforcement system in decades.
Source: Adapted from MyBroadband and official Government Gazette notices.