A warrant for unpaid traffic fines in Cape Town involves two different bodies: the City of Cape Town issues and administers the fine, but a warrant of arrest is issued by the court named on the summons. Contacting only one of them is why these matters often stall.
Task scope
This covers checking or paying an outstanding Cape Town traffic fine, asking about a warrant linked to one, and complaining if the City handles the matter badly. It does not cover fines issued by other municipalities or by provincial traffic authorities, which have their own offices.
Route
- Traffic fines: 0860 103 089
- Metro Police and Traffic Services: 0860 765 423
- Customer call centre, choose option 4 for motor vehicle queries: 0860 103 089
- General email: [email protected]
- City Ombudsman: 021 400 5487 or [email protected]
- Appeals: [email protected]
Requirements
Have the notice or summons number, the vehicle registration and the driver details ready before calling, because the City cannot trace a matter reliably without at least the notice number or the registration. Note that option 4 on the call centre menu covers motor vehicle queries and operates Monday to Friday from 07:30 to 17:00, while the general accounts option runs longer hours. The court reference on a summons matters as much as the fine number, because it identifies which court the matter sits in.
Steps
Call 0860 103 089 for the fine itself and establish whether it is still an unpaid notice or has already progressed to a summons or a warrant. If it has progressed, the court named on the summons is the body that issued the warrant, so that court must be contacted to deal with it: the City cannot cancel a warrant issued by a court. Metro Police and Traffic Services on 0860 765 423 handles traffic policing matters. Walk-in queries can be taken to the Civic Centre at 12 Hertzog Boulevard, Cape Town, 8001, and post goes to Private Bag X9181, Cape Town, 8000.
Escalation
If the City mishandles the matter, the City of Cape Town has its own Ombudsman on 021 400 5487 or [email protected], and a formal appeal against a decision of the municipality goes to [email protected] under the Municipal Systems Act. Suspected corruption, including anyone offering to make a fine or warrant disappear for a payment, goes to the City fraud hotline on 0800 323 130. Never pay a fine to an individual: pay only through the City official channels and keep the receipt.
Sources
- City of Cape Town contact page, traffic fines and Metro Police entries: capetown.gov.za/General/Contact-us
- City of Cape Town customer call centre options and legal contacts: capetown.gov.za/General/Contact-us