The controversial e-toll gantries in Gauteng, costing R20 billion, will remain in use despite the system’s shutdown, now repurposed for crime detection and speed monitoring.
Originally introduced to fund highway upgrades, the system faced strong public opposition, leading to its decommissioning in 2024, but the technology will continue to serve as surveillance infrastructure.
A report by BusinessTech states that while the gantries will no longer serve their original tolling purpose, they will remain an integral part of Gauteng’s road network in a different capacity.
The sophisticated technology installed on the gantries, particularly the CCTV cameras, will not go to waste.
The infrastructure is now being repurposed to enhance road safety and fight crime.
According to the report, this new approach was announced by former Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga in February, who indicated that while tolling would cease, the gantries would still play a vital role in “crime prevention.”
The report furthermore said that although no specific details were given at the time, a Sanral tender document issued in 2022 suggested that the e-toll infrastructure could be repurposed to serve as average-speed-over-distance checkpoints and a surveillance system for tracking stolen vehicles.
Throughout Gauteng, there are 43 gantries spaced at about 10 km intervals on the N1, N3, N12, and R21 highways.
BusinessTech reports that this puts each gantry at about R465-million each.
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