Attempts of the Road Traffic Management Authority (RTIA) to put out fires regarding its problems with the sending of traffic fines, has now led to greater confusion as the authority and the minister are contradicting each other over this issue, Adv. Anton Alberts, the FF Plus’ spokesperson on Transport, says.
RTIA’s comments that fines are still valid regardless of whether they are delivered in the correct manner or not differ from the reply of the minister of Transport supplied in response to a question about this issue which was already asked in 2012 in Parliament by Adv. Alberts.
In his reply, the minister said that the act clearly states that fines have to be delivered by hand or by registered mail only.
The RTIA also essentially differs from the minister as to why no fines have been sent out this year. In a reply to a question in Parliament of Adv. Alberts to the minister of Transport, the minister, has now said that the Post Office does not meet the requirements according to which Aarto notices (fines) have to be delivered and that the notices had not been delivered within the prescribed period.
As a result of this, no fines have been delivered since 1 January of this year, the minister’s answer stated.
In contrast with this, RTIA says notices were not delivered due to a dispute regarding RTIA’s account with the Post Office. The FF Plus’ information is that the Post Office had ended their services as a result of non-payment of the account.
Adv. Alberts says RTIA’s contradiction of the minister about this important issue, makes it clear that its house is not in order and that there is an attempt to mislead the public over fines which have been delivered in an illegal manner.
“Somewhere somebody is dishonest. This means that the system’s problems are only getting bigger. Aarto will never work in South Africa, and the government is misleading itself if it thinks that this system will ever reach its goal of safer roads.
“Similarly, e-toll fines will also not reach anybody, and it would be illegal. Sanral’s problems will only get worse by linking its hope of having accounts paid to Aarto. It is clear that Aarto is a failure,” Adv. Alberts said.
Contact no.: 082 391 3117 / 083 419 5403
;
