Huge fines all a mistake: Aarto boss

Wendy Alberts, CEO of the Restaurant Association of South Africa she's facing arrest unless she pays a R50000 penalty from AARTO.111 Picture: Matthews Baloyi 4/2/2012

Wendy Alberts, CEO of the Restaurant Association of South Africa she's facing arrest unless she pays a R50000 penalty from AARTO.111 Picture: Matthews Baloyi 4/2/2012

Published Apr 4, 2012

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Following reports of insanely huge penalties being imposed on Johannesburg drivers who had the temerity to query their original fines, or who mistakenly paid the discounted ‘settle within 32 days’ amounts, Road Traffic Infringement Agency deputy registrar Sherman Amos says it’s all a mistake.

Apparently it was caused by the omission of a decimal comma in the Johannesburg metro police department's traffic-fine issuing system.

Amos said motorists shouldn’t panic if they found themselves confronted with fines of, for example, R50 000 or R300 000.

JMPD AWARE OF THE PROBLEM

According to Beeld newspaper, many traffic offenders who recently lodged complaints about the validity of their fines were subsequently issued with a notification stating that their complaints had been rejected, and that they had to pay up.

One driver who initially queried a R750 fine for driving between 91and 95km/h in an 80km/h zone was told he had to pay a R75 000 fine within 32 days.

And on Tuesday we carried the story of Wendy Alberts, who paid only half of a R500 speeding fine and was penalised R50 000.

Amos said that the RTIA had taken up the issue with the Johannesburg metro police, which was aware of the problem, and had said they were trying to rectify it. - Sapa

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