The Johannesburg (JMPD) and Tshwane (TMPD) metro police departments have not issued any traffic fines for speed infringements caught on camera for more than three months.
A report published by Rapport and covered by MyBroadband said these government entities have not loaded any camera fines on the National Traffic Information Systems (Natis) since 1 July 2021.
The Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) confirmed that the Natis system recently experienced a sharp decline in the number of fines loaded by the JMPD and TMPD.
The problems in Johannesburg are likely due to the expiration of a contract with Syntell, which loaded the fines onto the Natis system.The contract between the JMPD and Syntell ended in June, without any extensions or new service providers in place. This lead to the responsibility of loading traffic fines falling onto the JMPD employees. It is unclear what is causing the delay in Tshwane.
Civil action group Outa has warned that a fine notice cannot be issued to an infringer if more than 40 days have passed since the infringement.
Johannesburg and Tshwane are currently the only municipalities where the new Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act is in effect.
The Aarto Act is currently being rolled out and is in its second of four phases.
The second phase will see drivers and fleet operators who have infringed on traffic laws, penalised with demerit points that could lead to the suspension or cancellation of licences, professional driving permits, or operator cards.
A maximum of 15 demerit points can be received; thereafter drivers will be disqualified from driving their vehicles.
The duration of the disqualification will equal three months for every point over the 15-point limit.
The second phase will also introduce the electronic service of documents, such as traffic infringements.