E-tolls: Call for confirmation of date when system will be shut down as promised
Everything should have been in place by now for the switch on e-toll gantries to have been flipped by the due date of 31 March to end the e-toll system in Gauteng, but things still seem to be in limbo.
Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi must come clean about when e-toll gantries will be switched off.
That is the opinion of DA Gauteng premier candidate Solly Msimanga and Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (Outa) CEO Wayne Duvenage.
Lesufi promised during his State of the Province Address that the gantries would be switched off by 31 March.
This promise came four months after Minister of Finance Enoch Godongwana’s announcement about the end of e-tolls in October.
Gauteng finance MEC Jacob Mamabolo reaffirmed on March 5 that the gantries would be switched off on 31 March.
Msimanga said before the switching off can happen, it needs to have been gazetted at least 14 days prior.
According to Msimanga, the gazetting has not yet happened and “we are already into the last weeks of March”.
“It is clear that e-tolls are here to stay for the foreseeable future and that, like his predecessor, David Makhura, Lesufi has made another empty promise,” said Msimanga.
Vusi Mona, Sanral general manager for marketing and communications, confirmed that no gazette about e-tolls has been published.
Msimanga is of the opinion that should the gantries not be switched off on 31 March, motorists will continue to be billed for this unwanted system.
It will also lead to the current portion of Gauteng debt for e-tolls increasing.
“We are left more confused than ever,” said Duvenage.
He also confirmed that his organisation would continue with its plan to defend motorists who receive a summons from Sanral for outstanding e-toll debt.
“Statements around this debt are confusing because Sanral stopped issuing summonses against e-toll defaulters in 2019, and most of this debt has now prescribed,” said Duvenage.
Since February 2019, his organisation’s lawyers have been defending 2 028 cases on behalf of e-toll defaulters who received summonses from Sanral.
He said that in these cases Outa is challenging the lawfulness and enforceability of the e-toll scheme.
In March 2019, the Sanral board passed a resolution to stop e-toll summonses and in the meantime, all these cases have been “placed on hold”.
Duvenage is also upset about Lesufi backtracking on his promise about a payback to motorists.
Last January, Lesufi announced that R6.9 billion would be refunded to those who had paid their e-toll bills.
Duvenage said he expected Sanral to be billing motorists as long as the gantries are lawfully working.
“The switch to the cameras and the technology for the billing should be flipped at midnight on the 31st after this move has been gazetted. It is as easy as that. To stop the accounts they have to lawfully turn the signal off,” he said.
According to Duvenage, the consequences of flipping the switch might bother all role players.
“Between Sanral, Lesufi, Godongwana and the Department of Transport, it seems nobody knows how to end the e-toll debacle. They are all playing musical chairs,” said Duvenage.
He said consumers must remember that the long distance tolling systems will still be in place.
Road users can continue to use their e-tags at all other toll plazas in the country, provided their account is active.
Duvenage is opposed to the Gauteng government using tax payer funds to pay off the debt for e-tolls.
Godongwana announced in his 2022 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement (MTBPS) that the Gauteng government, “to resolve the funding impasse” of the scrapping of e-tolls, had agreed to contribute 30% to settling Sanral debt and interest obligations, while the national government would cover the remainder.
The provincial debt of R12.9 billion has been left to the administration that will installed after the general election on 29 May to pay.
“It does not make sense that the province must settle this debt. I do not know how the 30% was calculated. This is the government’s mess and they should pay for it,” said Duvenage.
He is in agreement that the gantries should be repurposed and used for law enforcement, such as speed control on the highway.
“This is also the case for the staff who might lose their jobs. Staff can also be retrained and repurposed,” said Duvenage.
Mona said government is still working towards March 31 to scrap e-tolls.
“However, this has several dependencies, like the government gazette period,” said Mona.
He confirmed that Sanral would only stop invoicing e-toll users once the system has been switched off.
According to Mona, the e-toll infrastructure is a significant asset that can assist with improved mobility, road safety and other transport-related services on Gauteng freeways.
“The main priority will be using the gantries for law enforcement and crime fighting purposes,” said Mona.
Mona said Sanral will await the decision of the national government policymakers on what is to be done about claiming the debt from motorists that have failed to pay their e-toll bills.
“The same is applicable to the reimbursing of motorists who paid their e-toll bills. Sanral awaits a decision from the government’s policymakers,” said Mona.
Do you have more information about the story?
Please send us an email to bennittb@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites: Rekord East
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
