Cape Town - The Western Cape has rejected the "final mandate" of the controversial Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Amendment Bill, which aims to impose demerit points that could lead to suspension and possible cancelation of an offending motorist's driving license.
Nceba Hinana, chairman of the Standing Committee on Transport and Public Works at the Western Cape Provincial Parliament said late on Wednesday the province had rejected the Aarto Bill.
"Today, the Standing Committee on Transport and Public Works, in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament, rejected the final mandate of Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Amendment Bill," said Hinana, who is a Democratic Alliance member of the provincial Parliament. "While I support the concept of Aarto in principle, the current model remains unimplementable."
The Aarto Act of 1998 was implemented to ensure greater compliance with traffic laws and regulations.
"It has so far been piloted, with many unresolved issues, in the Tshwane and Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipalities," said Hinana, adding that the Amendment Bill, however, proposes a number of changes to the Act.
Aarto proposes that if an individual violates a traffic law, he or she is given demerit points. Motorists may have a maximum of 12 points; if they exceed that number their driving licence will be suspended for three months. A licence is cancelled if it is suspended three times.
"Now that both the Provincial Standing Committee’s negotiating and final reports have been submitted to the National Council of Provinces, I call on the Upper House of the Parliament of South Africa to reject this Bill," said Hinana.
'Politicised'
"More than 10 000 public comments received, along with five public hearings held during February 2018 in Bellville, Khayelitsha, Mossel Bay, Hermanus, and Clanwilliam. The majority of submissions rejected this Bill, therefore, it cannot be supported," he said. "Another major concern highlighted by the public was the administering of finances at a national, rather than municipal level.”
ANC MPL Cameron Dugmore said the legislation had been politicised.