Sanral refutes claims of financial problems

This follows several anti-e-toll organisations’ predictions that the roads agency would be crippled by motorists’ non-payment of e-toll fees, which amounted to over half a billion rand of debt.

The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance said, “When the history of the e-toll saga is written, it will be the foolish and oppressive attempt to criminalisation of non-payment of e-tolls that will be shown to have been the main cause of the downfall of e-tolling.”

However, the roads agency’s financial officer Inge Mulder said there was no cash-flow problem but possibly a misunderstanding.

“In fact, we are satisfied with both registrations and payments made by non-registered users. We have always trusted that the public will do the right thing and pay. This high level of compliance has also meant that we are on track to meet our debt obligations.”

In a statement, Mulder noted that while it was true that only nine percent of non-registered users pay after seven days, 35 percent of these users do pay within seven days.

According to the agency, 1.2 million motorists had registered e-tags and collection from these users had been successful.

The agency collected R250.8 million during February.

Timing of payment had an impact on the amount payable as the different discounts available, changed. The discounts available to users after the seven-day grace period, were as follows:

• Payment after seven days but before 30 days, receives a 60 percent discount.

• Payment after 30 days but before 60 days, receives a 30 percent discount.

Mulder also clarified that the roads agency was not retrenching staff, nor was the service provider, CTC.

“A sub-contractor to ETC is laying off temporary staff because the work they were contracted to do, has been completed,” she said.