Unpaid fines could paralyse businesses under new AARTO demerit system – Barry Berman (SA Fines)

South Africa’s long-awaited Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (AARTO) system takes effect on 1 December 2025 in 69 municipalities, including Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban, with smaller regions to follow in April. Barry Berman, CEO of traffic fine platform Fines SA, says he expects the current fine settlement rate, currently as low as 20%, to rise to over 90% with the introduction of the new demerit points system. In an interview with BizNews, Berman warned that unpaid fines could become a logistical nightmare for companies with vehicles, affecting not just the driver or fleet manager but the business itself. Under AARTO, traffic fines for company vehicles will now be linked directly to a business’s Registration Number (BRN), rather than an individual. This means unpaid fines could block the company’s BRN on the Electronic National Administration Traffic Information System (eNaTIS), halting vehicle licence disc renewals, new registrations, and suspending driver licences. Berman urged businesses to sign up with Fines SA to track and settle outstanding fines in time and cautioned motorists to be wary of clone sites and fraudulent apps.