E-toll law change is set to hurt drivers

The ANC’s schizophrenic stance on e-tolls – we don’t want them, you must pay – might be a sign of an organisation in the midst of an existential crisis. Or, more worryingly, this could be a sign of a political party cynically playing games to woo voters in next year’s polls.

If the latter is the case, we expect that after the ANC has another five-year ruling term in its back pocket, e-tolls will be back on the table. Not only that, defaulters will be pursued with a vengeance.

Justice Project SA founder Howard Dembowsky – a civil society activist who tirelessly monitors anything to do with our road system – believes the government, via the SA National Roads Agency Limited, is ready to hammer errant e-tollers next year.

He believes a key weapon in this assault on the pockets of citizens will be an amendment to the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences (Aarto) Act, which will criminalise the non-payment of e-tolls and allow the authorities to cancel the driving licences of offenders.

There really is no other reason to amend that Act.

That is certainly something to think about next year, as you put your cross on the ballot paper.

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