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Fines sent by ordinary post are illegal but the JMPD is accused of continuing to flout the law.

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The Joburg Metro Police Department has still not confirmed whether it will withdraw fines that were apparently illegal because they were sent by ordinary post instead of registered mail.

A meeting was to have taken place between the JMPD and the Public Protector to discuss the issue last Friday, but was cancelled at the last minute. Instead, the JMPD has committed to sending a written submission to the Public Protector, explaining why it was allegedly in contravention of Section 30 of the AARTO Amendment Act 22, which says that any document required to be served on an infringer must be served personally or by registered mail.

It was revealed by the AA and the Justice Project South Africa that the JMPD was in fact sending AARTO fines unlawfully via standard surface mail.

The JPSA’s Howard Dembowsky said the JMPD had ignored a directive by the Registrar of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) last year to cease sending out infringement notices by ordinary mail, which led to the JPSA lodging a complaint with the Public Protector.

It emerged that not only had the JMPD defied the request, but that the AARTO Representations office in Village Road, Selby, was turing people away and telling them that they must either pay these fines or face the prospect of being tried in court. -Star Motoring