The collection rate of traffic fines in Cape Town dropped to 15.1% in 2025/26, down from the 19.3% achievement recorded in 2024/25.
Image: Ayanda Ndamane / Independent Newspapers
The City of Cape Town’s traffic fine collection has dropped to 15.1%, prompting the council to shift R115 million within its budget as it blamed lower recoveries, withdrawn fines and difficulties tracing motorists.
This after the council moved the funds from the Finance Directorate towards the expenditure by the Safety and Security Directorate because it did not collect all fines recorded as revenue during 2025/26.
A report tabled to council stated that the assessment of the value of fines as at June 30 resulted in higher impairment provision than what was originally anticipated.
“The increase in the impairment is primarily attributable to increases in fines issued over the 2025/26 financial year which did not translate to the anticipated collection rate observed in the previous financial years,” reads the report.
The collection rate of traffic fines dropped to 15.1% in 2025/26, down from the 19.3% achievement recorded in 2024/25.
This was despite additional officers being appointed and their visibility resulting in more fines being issued to encourage a change in driver behaviour across the City.
The increase in speed enforcement cameras had resulted in a year-on-year marked increase of 415,946 fines issued.
In 2025/26, the fines issued amounted to 3,182,309 compared to 2,767,363 issued in the prior year.
The City said one of the challenges it faced was that the fines are also reduced, withdrawn or struck from the court roll every year.
There were also major challenges with up-to-date and accurate information of motorists that made it impossible to trace offenders for the purpose of summons serving or to execute warrants of arrest.
However, the City said it has initiatives to improve the collection of fines, which in the past resulted in an increased collection rate and served as a deterrent to motorists to become repeat offenders.
The measures include a National Administration Traffic Information System block on the system where motorists with outstanding fines are prevented from concluding any Natis transaction like renewing drivers licences.
Others are roadshows to encourage motorists to settle their outstanding fines without fear of being arrested, bulk payment of fines by proxies and fleet owners added on the online payment platform, fines being sent via multimedia message service to reliable cellphone numbers and SMS reminders.
The number of summonses served increased in 2025/26 with one month recording more than 60,000 summonses being served.
“The directorate will continue with these initiatives to ensure higher collection rate is achieved,” the report reads.
ANC councillor Phindile George said the decline in traffic fine collection rate was not simply an accounting problem as it pointed to a failure to develop sufficient, creative and inclusive approaches to encouraging motorists to pay.
“The City must move beyond simply issuing fines and expecting compliance. We need to create incentives for good behaviour and payments,” George said.
He proposed that the City use its existing traffic fine roadshow to offer motorists an opportunity to settle outstanding fines at a reduced amount and target sectors such as the taxi industry, where a significant number of fines are accumulated.
“Let the fines not be used as a fighting tool. Instead of allowing the relationship between the City and the taxi industry to remain hostile, we should use these roadshows to create dialogue, encourage compliance, and provide a pathway for motorists to clear outstanding fines,” George added.
DA councillor Joan Woodman said the accounting adjustment was required to ensure that the City's financial statements properly reflect the amount of traffic funds that was realistically expected to be collected.
Safety and Security Mayoral Committee Member JP Smith claimed that Cape Town has the highest traffic fine recovery rate in the country and introduced a series of innovations such as traffic fine roadshows.
“The only thing that impedes us from doing so more frequently is the available resources from agencies that need to be involved in that, like the National Prosecuting Authority,” he said.
Smith said they were making good progress on people who have outstanding warrants for unpaid fines.
“What will significantly augment this, of course, is the traffic by-law, which now allows for impoundment for the worst offences, rather than the much less effective issuing of fines to habitual offenders,” he added.
