On-road enforcement won’t target e-toll users

On-road enforcement was met with fierce criticism following a report claiming that Gauteng traffic police would soon begin stopping motorists who neglected to pay e-tolls.

However, the Electronic Toll Collection (ETC), contracted to the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) to run the tolling system, has moved to clarify that on-road enforcement would not be used to find motorists who had outstanding e-toll bills.

ETC CEO, Jamie Surkont confirmed that on-road enforcement was already in operation and was not a means to fine or prosecute motorists who had outstanding e-toll bills.

“On-road enforcement is under the custodianship of the Gauteng Department of Community Safety in Johannesburg, and has been in operation since e-tolling commenced in December 2013,” he said.

The enforcement focuses on increasing welfare by identifying motorists who travel without licence plates, with duplicate licence plates or cloned vehicles, and unidentified vehicles that were on the road network, said Surkont.

“Vehicles that have utilised the [Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project] network and remain unidentified will form part of these on road enforcement activities, in an effort to identify these motorists.”

“[Sanral], through ETC, supports all road safety initiatives on South African highways. In the forthcoming months, there will be an increase in roadside presence by the [Gauteng Department of Community Safety], supported by the specialised equipment provided by ETC,” Surkont added.

However, Justice Project SA chairperson, Howard Dembovsky raised concerns about this method of enforcement.

Dembrovsky welcomed on-road enforcement if it served to target those with false, cloned, obscured, altered or missing number plates, adding that this enforcement was fully within the law.

“If however it is going to be used to stop those who have not paid e-tolls and escort them to a customer service centre to pay as has previously been mooted, then this will be fully illegal and tantamount to kidnapping and extortion.”