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Motorists who refuse to pay electronic tolls will not be able to renew their driver or vehicle licenses if proposed amendments to the Administrative Adjudication of Traffic Violations Act (AARTO) go into effect.
The recently published regulations have adhered to an earlier draft version of the new traffic laws, which state that drivers will be slapped with a R500 fine for every electronic toll fee they don’t pay.
This is in addition to a Penalty for violation R100 payable for each traffic violation committed.
This will punish the motorist who fails to pay the electronic toll fees with fines of 4,000 rand and levies of 800 rand for a single round trip between Pretoria and Sandton.
According to Relationship, the latest regulations will also block the eNATIS accounts of drivers who ignore these fines and charges.
This means that they will not be able to renew their driver or vehicle licenses, register a purchased vehicle, or de-register a sold vehicle.
The amendments are scheduled to take effect on July 1, 2021.
These laws are seen as a way for the government to force Gauteng drivers to pay their electronic toll bills.
The vast majority of motorists have rebelled against electronic tolls, and SANRAL claims that only 19.58% of electronic toll fees are paid.
During the previous financial year, the agency only managed to collect R 688 million in electronic toll fees, and the outstanding amount reached R 10 billion.
New laws “too scary to imagine”
Director of the South African Justice Project (JPSA) Howard Dembovsky previously said MyBroadband that if the new traffic laws are implemented next year, they would cause injustices too terrifying to imagine.
Dembovsky has also publicly endorsed AA South Africa’s criticism of the latest regulations.
He said the new regulations reveal the blatant commercialization of traffic tickets taking place in South Africa.
“From the huge increases in fines and administrative fees payable, to the many new obstacles that will stand in the way of a motorist wishing to prove his innocence; This draft regulation makes it clear that money and not justice or road safety is the main focus of the AARTO Act, ”Dembovsky said.
The AARTO Act already views traffic tickets as little more than bills, he said, except when alleged offenders choose to stand trial under its current provisions.
“If the AARTO Amendment Act is implemented nationwide on July 1, 2021, where an emerging court further hampers access to lower courts, the injustices it will create are too terrifying to imagine,” Dembovsky said.
“Once the regulations are in place, reversing them is a very tedious and costly process.”
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