Unpaid E-Tolls could lead to a fine

SOUTH Africans have until today, Wednesday 6 January, to comment on the proposed legislation that will allow SANRAL to take legal action against those with outstanding e-toll fees.

Both the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA) and AfriForum have taken a stand against this proposed legislation and urge community members to do the same.

The Department of Transport published the gazette (#39482) on Monday 7 December in an attempt to amend the Administrative Adjudication of Road Traffic Offences Act, allowing the inclusion of outstanding e-Toll bills into the normal traffic fine and violation process.

In a statement on OUTA’s website, “The authorities seek to have these notices served on you via ordinary mail, e-mail, or even SMS – in accordance with an earlier Gazette (# 36613) submitted in June 2013, but not put into place until now, which is a matter that Parliament will consider approving in due course.”

You can comment on the proposed legislation via OUTA’s website by clicking on this link: https://www.outa.co.za/site/comment-on-recently-proposed-amendment-of-the-aarto-act-and-regulations/. At the time of being published, more than 66 000 people have commented.

According to Henk Maree, the national spokesman for AfriForum,“This is nothing more than a conniving plan hatched by government in a bid to save the failed e-toll project through the abuse of legislation. AfriForum is still prepared to support any member if SANRAL should sue the member for payment of his/her outstanding e-toll fees.”