The Western Cape Provincial Parliament is holding public hearings on the controversial Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Bill – passed in Parliament in September last year – with the first hearing having kicked off last Thursday.
“These hearings form part of the process before the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) votes on the Bill, and transporters are strongly encouraged to take the time to participate in this process,” said Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) national chairman Howard Dembovsky.
He noted that at this stage JPSA was not aware of any scheduled public hearings in the other eight provinces. “We will keep an eye on things and will notify the public if or when we are made aware of other events,” Dembovsky said.
The Aarto Amendment Bill seeks to amend many of the current provisions of the Aarto Act, in preparation for the national implementation of the Act, after which the long-awaited points-demerit system is expected to be introduced.
“That Bill is currently with the National Council of Provinces (NCOP) and it has become apparent that it is now receiving attention from the various provincial legislatures,” highlighted Dembovsky.