The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA) has challenged a recent government tender that seeks to outsource a number of core administration processes that are currently performed by the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) through its NaTIS platform.
Allegedly linked to the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act (AARTO), the “large, complex complex public–private partnership (PPP) tender” is being rushed, without the proper analysis and regulatory processes being adhered to, OUTA warns.
In a statement, it says that “Duplicating this capacity” of the NaTIS system “through a private contractor risks higher costs, operational complexity, and weakened institutional capability.”
If OUTA’s concerns are correct, the NaTIS system that millions of South Africans rely on could see prices increase for renewals, or the introduction of service charges to offset higher costs of paying the private partner to manage similar systems.
There are also data privacy concerns, as the private company in the tender would inherit huge swathes of private information from South African motorists relating to their vehicles and traffic offences. This makes data protection and oversight more difficult and increases the risk of huge data breaches.
Yet another concern are implications that South Africa’s system for processing fines will fall into the hands of a company seeking profits.
“Traffic enforcement is not meant to operate as a profit-driven exercise,” explained Wayne Duvenage, CEO of OUTA.
“When private entities stand to benefit from administrative processes linked to fines, it creates perverse incentives and erodes public trust. That is exactly what AARTO does not need.”
OUTA has now called on the Minister of Transport, Barbara Creecy, and the chairperson of the Road Traffic Infringement Agency (RTIA) to explain the incoming tender, why it is allegedly being rushed through and why state capacity is being bypassed.
“Pushing through a complex, high-risk outsourcing deal under tight timelines only deepens public suspicion. If this system is to be lawful, trusted, and effective, the procurement process must be beyond reproach,” adds Duvenage.
More than 2 million licenses booked through NaTIS
South Africa initially launched the ‘eNaTIS’ system in 2007 through the Department of Transport. A web portal that allowed users to manage vehicle registrations, manage traffic offenses and book driving license tests all at once.
Despite some issues, like the fact that only people in two of the nine provinces can book driver’s license renewals on the portal, it is still one of the simplest and easiest ways to handle important processes around your vehicle.
This year, the system is planned to receive further upgrade its systems, with the introduction of new SD-WAN connectivity to reduce wait-times and the addition of biometric identity verification to further eliminate fraudulent activity.
Per TopAuto, the system processed more than two million online license renewals in the 2023/2024 financial year, alongside 78 566 online registrations and 112 845 online change of ownership transactions.
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Source: https://htxt.co.za/2026/02/incoming-shock-for-south-africans-who-use-natis-web-portal/
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