New plans for SA's demerit system, phased approach to be introduced

South Africa’s demerit system will not come into effect from July 1 as originally planned. This was confirmed on Thursday by Transport minister Fikile Mbalula, who said that the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act will be introduced in a phased approach instead.

According to BusinessTech, the new plan is as follows:

Phase	Dates	Description
Phase 1	1 July 2021 – 30 September 2021	Establishment of 7 Aarto Service Outlets. The start of the processing of Aarto elective options in Issuing Authorities & Aarto Service Outlets. Deepen nationwide Aarto awareness.
Phase 2	1 October 2021 – 31 December 2021	Implementation of Aarto in 67 Local & Metros. 18 Aarto Service Outlets will also be established. Aarto adjudication process shall also commence. The Appeals Tribunal will become functional.
Phase 3	1 January 2022 – 30 June 2022	Introduction of Aarto in the remaining proclaimed 144 Local Municipal Areas
Phase 4	1 July 2022	Introduction of the Points Demerit System on 01 July 2022. Phasing in of the Rehabilitation program. 20 self-service kiosks will also be established.

TimesLive reports that these four phases will be implemented over the coming months with the last phase expected to rollout from July 1 2022. This is when the Points Demerit System (PDS) as well as the rehabilitation programmes will be introduced.

“By the time we reach this milestone, there will be no excuse among our road users that they do not understand the implications and consequences of the Aarto process,” said Mbalula.

“Considering the significant impact the points demerit system will have on the public, it is critical intensive public awareness and education campaigns are intensified to ensure every road user in the country understands the implications of the suspension and cancellation of licences due to non-compliant behaviour with road traffic laws.

“We must be mindful that Aarto is being introduced to save lives, and if you are compliant with all road traffic laws you have nothing to worry about. SA has to remain true to the commitments made to the UN Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021—2030. We have made a commitment to arresting the carnage on our roads and committed to reimagine our approach to road safety and making sure our people arrive alive when using our roads,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) explained that, “Aarto was rolled out in Gauteng 10 years ago and failed spectacularly,” which raises questions about its longevity and effectiveness once implemented.

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