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AARTO bill amendment for SA: Tell Govt what YOU think!

Johannesburg - The SA Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport is calling for submissions from members of the public regarding the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Amendment Bill.

The committee has extended the deadline for submissions to  August 31 2016.

Chairperson of the Committee, Dikeledi Magadzi, said: "The Committee should avoid a situation where people are not given adequate opportunity to comment on the proposed legislation. Parliament is an institution of the people and people should be allowed to influence legislation making."

Magadzi said consultation should be done with as many stakeholders as possible.

What does the AARTO Amendment Bill entail?

The AARTO Amendment Bill proposes, among other things, that delivery of notices include electronic methods; the national rollout of the programme in the next financial year; to provide for the apportionment of penalties, and the need for an infringement tribunal that will deal with offences. The Bill also proposes rehabilitation of road traffic offenders.

The bill can be downloaded from the SA government website and written submissions "can be sent to committee secretary Valerie Carelse", reports the committee.


What do you think of the proposed AARTO Amendment Bill? Share your thoughts with Wheels24

Justice Project SA responds

Justice Project SA (JPSA) chairman, Howard Dembovsky, said: " PSA has recently become aware of the fact that the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport is calling for submissions from members of the public and other interested stakeholders regarding the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) Amendment Bill, 2015 which was originally published for public comment on 20 February 2013 and subsequently on 28 June 2013.

"The closing date for submissions thereon was 28 July 2013 and since then, no further calls for public comment have been published in any government gazette. 

READ: AARTO Amendment Bill – Call for public submissions

"On 12 November 2015, a notification of the intention to introduce the AARTO Amendment Bill, 2015 into Parliament was published by the Minister of Transport in government gazette 39395 and then, on 30 November 2015, the AARTO Amendment Bill, 2015 itself was published. 

"This Bill must not be confused with the publications for public comment on draft amendments to the AARTO Regulations which have also been published from time to time, including but not limited to those draft amendments which contemplate e-tolls.

"Once we have completed our submission, it will be sent to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport and it will also be published online at our website in the interests of the total transparency JPSA holds dear, says the Justice Project. We envisage that this will take place at some time close to the closing date of 31 August, due to the fact that JPSA never shoots from the hip and wishes to make its submission as comprehensive as possible. 

"JPSA also wishes to encourage members of the public to download the AARTO Amendment Bill, 2015, contemplate its contents and make their own submissions to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Transport."

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