UMnyango, iNkantolo nezinhlangano emdonsiwaneni we-AARTO
Sekuphele iminyaka iPhalamende lawuphasisa njengosemthethweni uMthetho ovumela ukunikwa kwamaphoyinti kubashayeli uma belahlwa amacala ngobudedengu obenzeka emgwaqeni owaziwa nge-Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Amendment Act (AARTO), kepha kuze kube yimanje kusagxambuliswana ngawo kungenwa kuphunywa ezinkantolo ingekho efuna ukugoba uphondo phakathi koMnyango Wezokuthutha nezinhlangano zomphakathi eziholwa yi-Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa).
UHulumeni ezingeni likazwelonke ufuna ukuthi lo mthetho uqale ukusebenza ngoNtulikazi nonyaka, kodwa imizamo yawo ihlangabezane nembibizane ngesinqumo seNkantolo eNkulu yasePitoli okuthe mhla zili-13 kuMasingana yanquma ukuthi i-Aarto nezichibiyelo zayo kuyaphambana noMthethosisekelo. Ongqongqoshe bezokuthutha sebeshintshashintshwe kaningi ezweni kungekho noyedwa ophumelelayo ekutheni lo Mthetho uqale ukusebenza kuzwelonke.
Ngaphandle kwe-Outa kukhona nokukhuluma nasezinhlanganweni zezokuthutha okuqine kakhulu ngasembonini yamatekisi okuthi lo mthetho uzobaqedela iphalishi lezingane. Ososeshini sebevele sebelikhiphile elokuthi ngelanga oyoqala ngalo ukusebenza lo mthetho uma uhulumeni ephumelela, bayogcwala izitaladi futhi basho ngokungahlonizi ukuthi bayozimatanisa nanoma yiziphi izinhlangano zomphakathi eziphikisana nawo, ngisho nalezi ezaziwa njengezemaBhunu.
Okugqamayo ngalo mthetho ukuthi sekukhulunywe kakhulu ngawo, kodwa abashayeli okuyibona obathinta ngqo kubuye kuvele ukuthi abachazelekile kahle ngawo. I-Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act, 1998 (AARTO, Act No. 46 of 1998) umthetho wePhalamende laseNingizimu Afrika ogunyaza ukuba kuthathwe amaphuzu athile kumshayeli uma ephule umthetho womgwaqo. Ngalokhu kusho ukuthi uma umshayeli elokhu ethathelwa amaphuzu kungagcina ngokuthi esethathelwe nelayisensi uqobo. Lo mthetho ulawulwa inhlangano eyengamele ezokuthutha ezweni iRoad Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC), engaphansi koMnyango Wezokuthutha.
Ngokwezinhlelo zikaHulumeni kwakumele uqale ukusebenza ngonyaka wezi-2012, kodwa kwabuye kwamiwa emuva kwezingqinamba. Kukhona ababona isinyathelo sakamuva sikaMbalula sokwehlela ngezansi amemezelo usizo lwemali kosomatekisi nabezimoto ezincane ezithutha umphakathi njengenye yezindlela zokucubuza amagabade ukuze bangavusi umhlwenga uma sekuqala uhlelo lwe-Aarto. Ngeledlule uMbalula umemezele ukuthi uMnyango wakhe uzocaza imali eyisigidigidi esiso-R1,14 ewuxhaso oluhambisana nokulahlekelwa kwabamatekisi ngenxa yokhuvethe.
Kubhekeke ukuba osomatekisi bathole izi-R5 000 ngamunye okuhlanganisa amaMetered Taxi nabe e-Hailing. Ememezela lolu sizo uMbalula uthe, “Sethula ngokusemthethweni lolu xhaso ngenhloso yokwehlisa umthwalo emahlombe abamatekisi odalwe ukufika kokhuvethe. Emuva kokuxoxisana nabemboni yamatekisi nokubhekelela imicikilisho ethile ephakanyiswe yinkantolo, sibe sesifaka kumqulu kahulumeni yonke imibandela yabezokuthutha ngokubanzi abakulungele ukuthola lolu xhaso kusukela zi-2 kuZibandlela wezi-2021. Sikholwa ukuthi sizokwazi ukufinyelela kubo bonke ngokwezibalo zethu amatekisi asemthethweni abayizi-137 000, bamaMeter Taxi ayizi-25 000, abamatekisi anqamula amazwe ayi-1 900 nama e-Hailing ayizi-63 000,” kugcizelela uMbalula.
UMnu uBernard Mhlongo oshayela amatekisi ahambela phakathi kweTheku neMbumbulu uthi bazolamukela usizo oluvela kuHulumeni kodwa angalindeli ukuthi lokho kuzobe sekusho ukuthi sebamukela ne-Aarto. “Mina nje sengize ngayindoda lapha ematekisini kwaqalwa kukhulunywa ngale nto, kodwa akekho noyedwa owake wafika kithina azosichazela ukuthi kusukaphi kuyaphi, okugqanyiswayo nje ukuthi abashayeli bazonikwa amaphoyinti sakubajezisa uma bephule umthetho. Kungakuhle uma izoshaya nxa zonke nakuzona izikhulu zamalambu aluhlaza ngoba empeleni yizo eziphula umthetho ukwedlula wonke umuntu,” kusho uMhlongo.
Abanye abashayeli babona lo mthetho uzodala ukuqhubeka kwenkohlakalo njengoba amaphoyisa omgwaqo ehlala njalo ebagwazisa ngamacala omgwaqo esikhundleni sokuba banikwe izexwayiso kokunye.
Naphezu kwakho konke ukukhuluma okukhona, abeRoad Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) bathi akusekho ukubuyela emuva bazoqhubekela phambili nezinhlelo zabo zokwethula umthetho i-Administrative Adjudication of the Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act nezinye izinhlelo ezintsha nezizohluka kuleli, naphezu kwesinqumo seNkantolo Enkulu ethole ukuthi i-Aarto iyaphambana noMthethosisekelo.
IRoad Traffic Infringement okuyiyo enomthwalo wokufaka uhlelo i-Aarto ithi lisekhona ithuba lokuba konke okuhlongozwa kumthetho i-Aarto kufakwe kuze kube isinqumo seNkantolo Enkulu yasePitoli siqiniswa iNkantolo YoMthethosisekelo.
“Ngaphezu kwalokho uMbalula usekuvezile ukuthi bazophikisana nesinqumo seNkantolo eNkulu yasePitoli. IBhodi Labaqondisi nalo lithathe isinyathelo lokubambisana noMbalula ukuphikisana nesinqumo. Ngenxa yalokhu ukufakwa kwe-Aarto kuzoqhubeka kuze kube kuyacaca ngokuthi isinqumo mayelana nomthetho i-Aarto siyahambisana yini nomthethosisekelo sivivinywa kuzo zonke izigaba zomthetho,” kusho isitatimende seRTIA.
Kulindeleke ukuthi i-Aarto iqale ukusebenza ngokugcwele ngoNtulikazi wezi-2022 nalapho kuzokwethulwa khona uhlelo olusha lokuthathwa kwamaphuzu kubashayeli.
I-RTIA ithi inhlosongqangi yalolu hlelo nokungenelela kukahulumeni ezingeni likazwelonke ukuthi kushintshe indlela yokuziphatha kwabasebenzisi bomgwaqo ngenhloso yokwehlisa isibalo sabafa ezingozini zomgwaqo eNingizimu Afrika.
Le nhlangano ithi cishe ngonyaka kufa abantu abayizi-14 000 ezingozini zomgwaqo kuleli ngenxa yokungathotshelwa kwemithetho yomgwaqo. Zili-13 kuMasingana iNkantolo Enkulu yasePitoli inqume ukuthi iSouth Africa’s Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act a ne-Aarto Amendment Act akukho emthethweni futhi akuhambisani noMthethosisekelo. Lokhu kulandela isinyathelo senhlangano yomphakathi i-Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) inikele enkantolo enkulu ngoMfumfu wezi-2021 iphikisana nokuthi umthetho nesichibiyelo sawo akuhambisani noMthethosisekelo.
Esinqumweni sakhe uMehluleli u-Annali Basson uvune i-Outa wahambisana nalokho ekholelwa kukho kokuthi lo mthetho ungena emalungelweni kaHulumeni ezingeni loHulumeni bendawo nasesifundazweni okuyinto engekho kuMthethosisekelo futhi kuvimbela lezi zigaba zoHulumeni ukuba zizithathe izinqumo ngokuphathelene nokwenzeka emgwaqeni nakubashayeli.
I-Outa yanyusa izinhlonzi ngezinto eziningi ezithinta umthetho i-Aarto kanye ne-Aarto Amendment Act eminyakeni eminingi edlule yadlulisa ukukhathazeka kwayo nokuyilapho yahlangana khona nezinye izinhlangano eyayinombono owodwa kanye nazo. Le nhlangano ithi ikholwa ukuthi le mithetho yezokuthutha ayikho emthethweni futhi angeke isize ndawo ekunciphiseni ukufa kwabantu ezingozini zomgwaqo ezweni. Le nhlangano isivele isikuvezile ukuthi impi yokuvikela abashayeli kulezi zicagogwana zemithetho ayikapheli njengoba uHulumeni eseshilo ukuthi usiphonsela inselelo lesi sinqumo sakamuva.
Esitatimendeni esikhiphe kuleli sonto inxusa uHulumeni ukuba azilalele izimvo zayo futhi ithi ayizukuphela amandla izoqhubeka nokulandelela ukuthi izichibiyelo ezenziwayo zihambisana nomthetho futhi kuhloswe ngazo ukunciphisa izingozi zomgwaqo.
