Nelson Mandela Bay Requests Delay on New Traffic Demerit System
The Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality has appealed to President Cyril Ramaphosa to postpone the implementation of the new traffic demerit system. The city highlights a lack of necessary funding, equipment, and capacity to effectively introduce the system.
Concerns Over Implementation Readiness
Officials report that the municipality currently has only a scanner and printer intended to handle the large volume of traffic fines, but they warn this is insufficient. They anticipate delays, public dissatisfaction, and financial losses arising from this inadequate preparation.
- The city may need to spend an additional R4 million to acquire required devices.
- Potential revenue loss from unpaid traffic fines could total hundreds of thousands of rand.
Timeline and Phasing
The new driving license system is set to launch on December 1, with the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) demerit system planned to follow 10 months later. Nelson Mandela Bay is among the municipalities included in the second phase of this rollout, along with others in the Eastern Cape.
Unpreparedness Highlighted in Official Report
A report presented by Safety and Security Executive Director Shadrack Sibiya at a recent committee meeting emphasizes the lack of readiness:
"Traffic officers have not yet been trained or registered to obtain a unique system number required to issue fines."
"The metro has yet to open an account with the Government Printing Works — the sole supplier of the stationery needed to print notices."
Summary
Nelson Mandela Bay seeks a halt on the rollout due to insufficient resources and readiness, warning that proceeding as planned could harm public trust and cost the municipality financially.
Author's summary: Nelson Mandela Bay calls for postponing the new traffic demerit system rollout, citing lack of training, funding, and equipment, risking delays and revenue losses.