Non-profit organisation Justice Project South Africa (JPSA) has launched a high court application to declare the imposition of criminal records for minor road traffic fines “unconstitutional”.
Several traffic authorities started enforcing Sections 57 and 57A of the Criminal Procedure Act (CPA), 51 of 1977 last year. The regulation holds that anyone who pays an admission of guilt fine, or is found guilty in court on a summons or written notice, gets a criminal record.
JPSA national chairperson, Howard Dembovsky, explained at one of the Ekurhuleni North Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s monthly functions last week that drivers needed to be cautious as traffic officials were using traffic fines as a source of revenue by soliciting bribes.
He pointed out that the vast majority of traffic fines were speed camera fines and accounted for 92.56% of the Johannesburg Metro Police Department’s 6 041 555 fines during 2013/2014. But under the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences. (Aarto), no criminal records are imposed.
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FTW pick: Bid to strike traffic fine regs
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