With reference to Johannesburg Metro Police:

A fine of R200 is issued for illegal parking. However, a parking ticket can be contested in court.

Common parking offences you could be ticketed for include:

·       Parking within nine meters of a pedestrian crossing - R200 fine.

·       Parking on the same side as a fire hydrant - R200 fine.

·       Parking on a pavement - R200 fine.

·       Stopping on the right hand side of a road facing oncoming traffic -     R200 fine.

·       Obstructing an entrance - R300 fine.

With reference to Johannesburg Metro Police:

Motorists can go to the Magistrate's Court on the corner of Fox and Miriam Makeba streets in the inner city to apply to get their fines reduced, or motorists can send in written submissions contesting their fine to the prosecutions and licensing department's representation section.

For more information, an SMS can be sent to 36997.

Written submissions can be sent to: Deputy Director, Prosecutions, Private Bag X24, Johannesburg, 2000.

It takes about a week to process submissions as they go through various channels. First, a JMPD officer examines the circumstances surrounding the representation.

The document then goes to the public prosecutor, who has the final say. The verdict is then fed into the department's system and a letter is posted to the motorist's residential address.

The people who leave their representation too late could end up in jail. Motorists sometimes receive a summons to appear in court, but do not lodge a representation until the day before the trial date. They are under the impression that the fine will be scrapped or reduced, and they then miss the court date.

The Magistrate's Court has a special traffic court, court number 35 inside the main building, where traffic cases are heard. There are also magistrate's courts in Randburg, Roodepoort, Meadowlands and Midrand that also have their own traffic courts. Once the verdict is given, the accused will either have the fine withdrawn or be accompanied by a court orderly either to pay the fine or be taken into custody.

With reference to Johannesburg Metro Police:

Traffic tickets can be paid at one of the JMPD offices:

·           At the Midrand Court.

·           At the Marlboro Testing Station in Sandton.

·           At the Magistrate’s Court in Randburg.

·           At the Roodepoort Court and

·           In the CBD at the JMPD headquarters on the corner of Village Main and Loveday streets.

The offices are open between 7:30am and 3:00pm every weekday, for more information contact (011) 375 5555.

It is generally recommended that fines are paid in cash, to avoid inconvenience. Other forms of payment accepted by the court are money orders, postal orders or bank guaranteed cheques. Such payments must be made well before the payment date to reach the payment office on time.

Postal payments can also be made before the date of payment to: Metropolitan Police, Private Bag X24, Johannesburg 2000.

A cheque must be payable to the authority mentioned in part D of the ticket.

Motorists are warned against paying traffic fines through independent companies that claim to pay the traffic fine for a fee, via Internet or telephonic transactions, as this is "done at your own risk". If the company does not pay the fine and a warrant of arrest is issued, the motorist can land up in jail.