Salga seeks court interdict to halt demerit system

Urgent court interdict to halt its implementation, expected to commence on 1 July.

June 29, 2026

Gugu Myeni 1 minute read

Salga approaches High Court to interdict the demerit system for traffic violations

The planned roll-out of phase 2 of the Administration and Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act will cause further financial strain on already burdened municipalities.

This is according to the South African Local Government Association (Salga), which is seeking an urgent court interdict to halt its implementation, expected to commence on 1 July.

ALSO READ: Motorists warned as ‘ghost fine’ fraudsters take advantage of AARTO delays

The matter is expected to be heard in the North Gauteng High Court in Pretoria tomorrow (Tuesday).

The demerit system for traffic violations was meant to be implemented in some municipalities from 1 December last year, but was deferred to 1 July this year.

At the time, the Department of Transport said the postponement followed assessment of the state of readiness in some of the municipalities that were to form part of the first implementation phase.

ALSO READ: Is South Africa ready for AARTO roll out?

Some of the issues identified during the assessment included the finalisation of training of both law enforcement and back office personnel, funding, and the harmonisation of current law enforcement systems used by various municipalities.

Salga has, however, raised serious concerns about the funding model underpinning the Act and its regulations.

“The current Aarto regulations, published in October 2025, impose financial burdens on municipalities without providing a sustainable financial model that will ensure effective implementation.

“This threatens municipal financial sustainability and risks diverting limited resources away from service delivery to cover the costs of implementing Aarto,” said Salga in a statement.

“Municipalities, which are the frontline of service delivery, cannot be expected to absorb unfunded mandates that compromise their financial viability.”

The association said the implementation, without resolving the funding model, will ‘undermine local government’s ability to enforce road traffic laws effectively’.

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