Latest News & Developments
Starting December 1, South Africans travelling on the N3 Toll Route must adapt to contactless payments as magstripe cards are phased out.
Sanral reports that it is investing heavily in SA’s crumbling roads, but the agency is still calling on Johannesburg drivers to pay their e-toll debt.
Sanral has been stressing that Johannesburg drivers fulfil their duty and pay their e-tolls debt.
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) in Gauteng has expressed deep concerns regarding the unclear operational issues surrounding the scrapping of e-tolls in the province.
The Gauteng Provincial Government paid its first instalment of R20 billion debt to Sanral earlier this week.
The provincial government will be paying R12 billion on the actual debt, R4 billion on the interest incurred, and R4 billion on maintenance, totalling R20 billion in debt.
Gauteng MEC for finance Lebogang Maile confirmed that as promised last Thursday, the province has paid its first instalment of R3. 8 billion towards the e-toll debt which was scrapped
Maile indicated that he was ready to pay the first instalment of R3bn by next October 1.
This stark admission contradicts Premier Panyaza Lesufi’s assurances of Gauteng’s financial health while the provincial government is gearing up to pay a whopping R20 billion to the SA National Roads Agency (SANRAL) to settle the e-toll debt.
Lesufi reiterated his commitment to creating jobs, dealing decisively with corruption and crime, constantly keeping the lights and water on as well as beefing up security measures.
AfriForum said it can only assist motorists who never made an undertaking, in the form of a signed contract, indicating their willingness to pay for the e-tolls.
The now scrapped and costly electronic tolling system was implemented despite public outcry and court battles from different organisations.
Chikunga said the e-toll gantries would now be used as speed traps, as well as monitoring highways to capture stolen vehicles and cloned plate numbers.
E-tolls will be permanently scrapped from Friday, but motorists will still be expected to pay their outstanding debts.
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga provided an update in Pretoria on future plans following the decision by the national government to officially scrap e-tolls in Gauteng.
In a bold denouncement of the ANC's recent actions, ActionSA has raised serious concerns regarding the timing and implications of the government's decision to announce a fuel price hike mere hours after the gazetted scrapping of e-tolls.
This comes after Lesufi, during his State of the Province address on February 19, announced plans to put an end to e-tolls. He promised that switching off the e-toll gantries would begin by no later than March 31.
The e-toll scheme has been a matter of discontent for civil organisations and thousands of Gauteng motorists, who have been opposing it since the first e-toll gantries since switched on in December 2013.
Government is set to officially delink e-tolls from gantries across Gauteng, signalling the end of the system that has drawn much criticism since it was first implemented in 2013.
Godongwana announced the end of e-tolls, saying an alternative funding mechanism would be implemented to address the financing of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) debt, which involved state-allocated funds
Mamabolo made the revelation while delivering the provincial budget earlier this week, while Lesufi made this announcement via the X media platform on Tuesday.
Premier’s office denies Lesufi misled the public.
The Rise Mzansi political party has called for Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi to “switch off” e-tolls by the end of March or else he should resign from the job.
It remains unclear what will happen to the Sanral debt as well as motorists and corporates who had been paying their e-toll fees over the years. But hey, every revolution has casualties.
This comes after similar statements were made in October 2022 after Lesufi pronounced on the scrapping of the e-tolls shortly after Godongwana’s 2022 Medium-Term Budget Policy Statement.