On 1 July 2026, AARTO stopped being a Johannesburg-and-Tshwane issue. Phase 2 of the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act brought the system into 62 municipalities across eight provinces, and with it a new set of rules, deadlines and risks for every business that runs vehicles. Here is what changed, what hasn’t changed yet, and what employers should be doing now.
What happened on 1 July 2026
On 29 June 2026 the President published two proclamations (Government Gazettes 54917 and 54918) bringing key provisions of the AARTO Act and the AARTO Amendment Act into operation from 1 July. The original AARTO Act now applies in 60 additional municipalities, and the Amendment Act applies in 62, because its changes also took effect in Johannesburg and Tshwane, where AARTO has operated for years. New AARTO Regulations were published at the same time.
Where AARTO now applies
Phase 2 covers municipalities in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape and North West, including major metros such as Ekurhuleni, eThekwini, Nelson Mandela Bay, Buffalo City and Mangaung. No Western Cape municipalities are included in this phase. A further phase is planned for the near future to take AARTO nationwide.
Not in an AARTO area? You are still affected
AARTO applies to where an infringement happens, not where the driver lives or where the vehicle is registered. A Western Cape driver, or a vehicle from any municipality outside the 62, who commits an infringement inside an AARTO area is dealt with under AARTO, with exactly the same notices, deadlines, penalties and enforcement orders as a local motorist. Businesses outside the AARTO areas are not absolved: if your vehicles or drivers travel into AARTO municipalities, even occasionally, AARTO applies to you.
If your vehicles travel between provinces, assume they will pass through AARTO areas. Check the full list of municipalities in the two Government Gazettes, or on the RTIA’s website.
What has changed for motorists and fleets
- Traffic infringements are now administrative, not criminal. Minor offences such as most speeding and parking fines are handled by the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA), not the magistrate’s court. Serious offences still go to court.
- Notices can be served electronically. Infringement notices sent by email, SMS or WhatsApp are legally binding. “I never received it” is no longer a defence.
- The 32-day clock. From the date a notice is served you have 32 days to act: pay (with a 50% discount), nominate the actual driver, make a representation, or elect to go to court.
- Miss it, and it escalates. After 32 days a courtesy letter follows, the discount falls away and an administration fee is added. If that is ignored too, an enforcement order is issued, which blocks the renewal of licence discs, driving licences and professional driving permits until the matter is settled.
What hasn’t changed yet: demerit points
The points demerit system, the part of AARTO most drivers worry about, is not yet active. No driver is currently accumulating demerit points, and no licence can be suspended under the points system. Government has indicated that the demerit system will come with the next phase, planned for the near future. That gives businesses a window to get their processes right before driving records start to count.
The legal challenges
Phase 2 went ahead despite opposition. The South African Local Government Association (SALGA) sought an urgent court order to halt it, which was dismissed on 30 June. OUTA then launched an urgent application, arguing that the independent Appeals Tribunal was not in place. It withdrew that application in August after the RTIA disclosed details of the Tribunal, although OUTA continues to scrutinise the rollout. For now, Phase 2 is law and is being enforced.
Why employers and proxies need to act now
When a company vehicle is caught, the infringement notice goes to the operator or juristic person, which in practice means the company and its nominated proxy. If the company does not identify the driver within 32 days, the company and its proxy carry the consequences. Under the Amendment Act, those consequences will eventually include demerit points against the vehicle’s operator card.
That creates real exposure:
- Fines can escalate unnoticed if electronic notices land in an unmonitored inbox.
- Enforcement orders can block the licence renewals your fleet depends on.
- Proxies often don’t realise they carry personal responsibility for the company’s vehicles.
- Fake AARTO fine messages are circulating, so staff need to know how to verify a notice before paying it.
Your AARTO Phase 2 checklist
- Confirm your proxy. Make sure a capable, informed person is appointed as proxy for every company vehicle, and that they understand their responsibilities.
- Update your contact details with the vehicle licensing authority and the RTIA, so electronic notices reach someone who acts on them.
- Set up a 32-day process for receiving, checking, nominating drivers and paying or disputing every notice.
- Update employment policies so drivers accept responsibility for infringements they commit and cooperate with nominations.
- Check fines regularly on the official AARTO website (aarto.gov.za), and never pay a fine from an unverified link.
- Train your people: proxies, fleet managers, HR and drivers.
How SASMiNT can help
Since 2008 SASMiNT has delivered more than 1,000 AARTO and traffic fine seminars to municipalities, government departments and fleet operators. Our AARTO webinars in November and December 2026 give proxies, fleet managers and HR the practical knowledge to manage AARTO with confidence. Attending companies receive the ePROXY Handbook, a step-by-step implementation roadmap.
Read more about AARTO and what it means for your business, or contact us and we’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
This article is general information, current as at 30 September 2026, and is not legal advice.
