The City of Cape Town has shifted R115 million within its budget after its traffic fine collection rate dropped to 15.1% during the 2025/26 financial year.
The council moved the funds from the Finance Directorate towards expenditure in the Safety and Security Directorate after the City failed to collect all the traffic fines recorded as revenue.
A report tabled before council said the value of outstanding fines at 30 June resulted in a higher impairment provision than initially expected.
Fine collection rate falls
Cape Town’s traffic fine collection rate declined from 19.3% in 2024/25 to 15.1% in 2025/26.
The drop came despite the City issuing significantly more fines after appointing additional officers and increasing speed enforcement cameras.
A total of 3,182,309 fines were issued during 2025/26, up by 415,946 from the 2,767,363 recorded the previous year.
The City said some fines are reduced, withdrawn or removed from court rolls each year.
Officials also face difficulties tracing motorists because available information is not always accurate or up to date, making it harder to serve summonses or execute warrants of arrest.
City targets outstanding fines
The City said several measures were being used to improve payment rates.
These include National Administration Traffic Information System restrictions for motorists with outstanding fines, traffic fine roadshows, SMS reminders and sending fines to reliable cellphone numbers.
Fleet owners and proxies can also make bulk payments through the City’s online platform.
The number of summonses served increased during 2025/26, with more than 60,000 served in one month.
Councillors debate collection strategy
ANC councillor Phindile George said the decline showed the City needed more creative ways to encourage motorists to pay.
She proposed using roadshows to allow motorists to settle outstanding fines at reduced amounts and said sectors including the taxi industry should be targeted.
DA councillor Joan Woodman said the R115 million adjustment was necessary to ensure the City’s financial statements reflected the traffic fine revenue realistically expected to be collected.
Safety and Security Mayco member JP Smith said Cape Town had introduced several initiatives to improve collections and was making progress in dealing with motorists who have outstanding warrants.