Forget about it: Cape Town to snub AARTO laws
Cape Town to snub AARTO laws, says JP Smith, the mayoral committee member for safety and security in the Western Cape. Here’s how.
After it was upheld in the Constitutional Court on July 12 2023, AARTO’s controversial new laws are set to come into effect countrywide on 1 July 2024. However, Cape Town plans to snub AARTO laws, says JP Smith, the mayoral committee member for safety and security in the Western Cape.
CAPE TOWN TO SNUB AARTO LAWS
That’s correct, the Western Cape Government hopes to avoid their implementation within its area of jurisdiction. It will, according to reports, make use of AARTO speed enforcement protocols only. But all other violations will be dealt with by the relevant local municipalities in the Western Cape.
LEGISLATIVE AMENDMENTS
Plans from Cape Town to snub AARTO laws comes by virtue of recent legislative amendments. These allow municipalities to select whether they use pre-existing or new AARTO laws. Such a scenario is allowed when provincial or municipal by-laws cover the same enforcements, says Smith.
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These amendments will allow the Western Cape to selectively use the new AAARTO laws for certain violations such as speeding. And other infringements will be handled by existing provincial by-laws.
Smith also recommended that other municipalities around the country adopt a similar ‘hybrid’ framework before switching to AARTO laws in July 2024.
DEMERIT SYSTEM
As a reminder, even if Cape Town is to snub new AARTO laws, there are currently 2 659 offences listed on the AARTO website, click HERE to check the fines related to them. The proposed driver demerit points system lets motorists accumulate 15 demerit points on their license before it is suspended.
ALSO READ: 15 of the strictest new AARTO penalties
An expired license can be suspended twice before it is cancelled and you have to apply for a learner’s and/or driver’s license from scratch.