The government is reconsidering implementing further e-tolling as a means of funding the construction of Gauteng highways in the future.
However, existing e-tolling in the province would remain.
This was according to the Sunday Independent, which reported that while e-tolling had not been completely scrapped, the Gauteng government had acknowledged the dissatisfaction of motorists.
Gauteng Transport MEC Ismail Vadi told The Sunday Independent that they were taking a “second look” at e-tolling in the province.
Vadi said that other options to fund the expansion and upgrade of road infrastructure and expand the road network were being considered.
“E-tolls still remain a valid option but there are also discussions about a provincial fuel levy or a provincial tax or shadow tolling,” he said.
However, Vadi said that government would not scrap the existing e-tolls.
“There will be no review of phase one of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project,” he said.
The announcement of e-tolling was met with fierce resistance, with anti-e-tolling organisations and opposition parties legally challenging the system and many Gauteng motorists refusing to pay for e-tolls.
Earlier this year, the South African National Roads Agency Limited conceded that it had racked up more than half a billion rand in outstanding e-tolling fees since the system was launched on 3 December 2013.
Less than 10 percent of this amount had been paid.
The agency later announced that it would extend the grace period discount for e-toll invoices for the period 3 December 2013 to 28 February 2014, until 30 June 2014.
In March 2014, the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) lodged a subsidiary complaint with the public protector against the roads agency.
This followed damning allegations of mismanagement of the Gauteng Open Road Tolling scheme made by a Kapsch employee- the Austrian company that worked with the roads to toll province’s roads.
The source claimed that there were serious design flaws in the current e-tolling system and the road agency had ignored Kapsch’s warnings of the extremely high risks involved in rolling out e-tolling nationally.
I think etol is just another way to make money its a load of crap and our roads arent getting better
A total rip off and a crime against honest citizens who already pay way too much taxes on every thing including fuel thank you to the ruling party for creating hatred by miss using the publics funds and inflating prices of items supplied to parliament and to the country at large Keep it up welcome a honest party and not a party who’s hands are dirty with blood from long ago whom have changed names and pay poor blacks just to vote for them