(Image by Halden Krog/Times/Gallo)
- Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said on Wednesday that drivers would be responsible for paying until the system is officially shut down on Thursday.
- Questions remain about how the government will deal with historic debt.
- Meanwhile, Sanral said the gantries will now be used to monitor crimes and traffic violations.
- For more financial news, visit: News24 Business Top Page.
Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga said motorists in Gauteng would be responsible for paying electronic tolls until the system was officially shut down on Thursday.
Some Gauteng roads on which electronic toll plazas operate will be stripped of their continuous toll road status after they were established in 2013 as part of the Gauteng Highways Improvement Project (GFIP), it has been gazetted. After the publication, electronic toll booths will be officially abolished. Electronic toll booth.
The midnight closure was decided after years of debate and frustration over when the system would finally end. The system also faced open resistance from motorists and civil society organizations who refused to pay electronic tolls.
Read | Explainer | Survival and death of electronic tollgates
However, it appears drivers are still legally responsible for paying unpaid tolls.
“The duty is [for motorists] The payment deadline is April 11th at midnight, and this account can still be used to pay electronic bills. […] Electronic billing invoices will be issued until the last day. Motorists will still receive a bill after the closure, but the transaction will not be recorded on the bill,” Chikunga said at a press conference on Wednesday.
She added:
There are laws that require you to pay a toll if you use a toll road. Why pay them? Donations will be used for road construction and maintenance.
Mr Chikunga said the government was still considering how to enforce payment of past debts accumulated by road users.
Additionally, South African National Highways Authority (Sanral) CEO Reginald Demana said the agency will continue to collect current outstanding electronic tolls, although the current e-toll debt stands at R43 billion. Ta.
However, he said there remains an “ongoing discussion” about e-toll debt that has accumulated over a long period of time.
Previously, drivers were handed demand letters and some were given default judgments to force them to pay their debts.
Financing GFIP debt
The final closure of the electronic toll system came after the agreement on financing the GFIP debt was postponed multiple times.
In 2020, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced in his medium-term budget speech that the system would be abolished on 31 December 2022. However, the Gauteng government and National Treasury had not yet reached an agreement on how to finance the debt.
In March, it was announced that Sanral, the Gauteng provincial government and the Ministry of Finance had reached a final agreement on debt payments. According to the agreement, the Gauteng government agreed to pay 30% of the GFIP debt (estimated at R12.9 billion) and Treasury was to pay 70%.
Earlier this year, the state government announced it would finance the debt through loans from commercial banks. R6 billion from the state budget will be allocated for loan payments over the next three financial years.
It has also agreed to contribute R4 billion over four years towards the maintenance backlog of electronic toll infrastructure, with R500 million already allocated for maintenance in this year's budget. This includes funding to repave roads that would have been completed earlier.
Read | e-Toll repayment: Gauteng loans, car licenses and gambling schemes blown up
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi told a press conference that electronic tolls have finally become “history” in Gauteng, but the loan payments are still not guaranteed by banks. According to Lesufi,
The financial institution wants to settle this debt on our behalf. [Talks for the loan] It is at an advanced stage. Discussions have ended. We will make another announcement regarding this matter.
Mr Lesufi also assured Gauteng residents that loan payments will be made in such a way that debt payments will not affect funds allocated to service delivery. However, revenue mechanisms such as vehicle licenses will also be used to raise funds for debt repayments.
“Basic services will not be affected by this deal. That's what we wanted.” [for] Electronic tolls are scheduled to end a year ago, but it must be made clear at the time they are signed that the deductible is not a disaster.our focus [is] upon [allocating] It is money that is not focused on providing services. ”
“I heard your voice.”
Reflecting on the closure, Chikunga said the decision was “not easy” but that the government had heard many complaints about electronic toll plazas.
“People said we weren't consulted enough. […] We listened and that's why we're here today. “Closing the gantries and closing the electronic toll plazas is the same as saying, 'We hear you,'” she said.
However, Mr Chikunga defended the need to pay for the toll roads.
“Tolls have been imposed in South Africa for a long time. People are not against them. Maybe they need to be explained.” [the concept of e-tolls] More,” she said.
Sanral Engineering executive Lou Kannemeyer said the gantries will be reused for crime-fighting and traffic-fighting purposes in the future.
E-tags will also be attached to cars and used to help pay for parking and public transport, he said.
