Discount extended on outstanding toll fees
The post-grace period has been extended on outstanding toll fees to allow motorists to settle their debt
In an unexpected move, the Department of Transport announced that the grace period to settle e-toll bills has been extended to 30 June 2014.
According to a statement issued by the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral), the announcement was gazetted on 12 May by minister Dipuo Peters, and allows motorists to settle certain outstanding fees provided they register for an e-toll account.
The extended grace period is for unpaid toll fees incurred from 3 December 2013 to 28 February 2014, and excludes the Alternate User Tariff normally charged.
Peters decided to extend the grace period in view of the fact that motorists were still familiarising themselves with the new system, as well as the delay of invoices reaching motorists.
Nazir Alli, CEO of Sanral, encouraged motorists to take full advantage of the extension and register for an e-tag.
“We believe [the extension] will assist those road users who have fallen behind with their payments to catch up and be compliant,” he said.
Alli added that those account holders who had already paid the tariff would be automatically credited after 1 July.
“We want to use this as an opportunity for road users to further familiarise themselves with the system and the options available to them,” he explained.
Meanwhile, the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance chairman, Wayne Duvenage said he was not surprised by the department’s latest move.
“We were expecting something like this. These are the carrots they are throwing at the public, but the public at large knows that this system is wrong,” he said.
He added that he expected some motorists to take up the offer and emphasised Outa’s determination to continue opposing e-tolls.
