AT LAST, An Endgame For e-tolls?

[Phillip Coetser]

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Hi all, I wonder if this is good or bad news for Gauteng motorists. Gatvol motorists could finally know where they stand with the future of e-tolls by the end of next month - but which way will Fikile Mbalula lean?
I quote, The DA has welcomed an update provided by Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula this week, after he made a firm commitment to ending the e-tolls debate once and for all. The gantries have been wildly unpopular, as a large majority of road users in Gauteng refuse to pay their tollgate fees – but a final decision is now within touching distance. Frustratingly, Mbalula has not indicated whether his call will spell an end to e-tolls, or keep them in place for the foreseeable future. What he did confirm, however, was that an announcement will be made ‘before the end of March 2021’. That’s less than six weeks away, for anyone who is counting:...https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/wi ... e-mbalula/

Regards

[Jan Horn]

What the government say and what do they are entirely unrelated.

In 2015 the then vice president now president announced a new dispensation for e toll users which can be read at

http://www.sanral.co.za/e-toll/index.ph ... ~~L1_13050

Point 2 covered infrequent users which read

2. Infrequent User Discount
A 100% discount will be granted to those vehicles that have fewer than 30 gantry passes during any one year period from 1 April to 31 March. The commencement date will be announced. Should the vehicle exceed the 30 gantry passes during this time period, all gantry passes, including the first 30, would have to be paid for.

To date 6 years later that still have not been implemented as they send me a bill whenever I visit my daughter in Edenvale and I have never exceeded 30 gantry passes in a year ever.

[Christopher]

Well hopefully it is over now

[Phillip Coetser]

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At last Gauteng motorists can be pleased that this saga is finally over. Next question is......what happens to the toll gantries????......time will tell.

Regards.

[Jan Horn]

Good to see you are back Phillip

[Phillip Coetser]

Thank you Jan.

[Phillip Coetser]

Etolls....what next??????
Bussinesstech reports the following......and I quote,
However, with the ‘end of e-tolls’, several questions remain: what will happen to the e-toll infrastructure? What happens to outstanding e-toll bills? What about the people who have been diligently paying their e-toll bills for the last decade? And what will happen with ongoing legal action against those who refused to pay? (https://businesstech.co.za/news/governm ... pens-next/)
According to Lesufi, the Gauteng government will engage with Sanral on how the e-toll infrastructure can be repurposed. Sanral itself has already laid the groundwork for this, with the company noting plans to use its systems for a ‘mobility’ pass, with the gantries possibly being used for policing and crime fighting.

Regards.

[Jan Horn]

Well seeing is believing. What did the finance minister meant when he said " As a result, the government allocated R23.7bn for Sanral to settle maturing debt and debt-related obligations this year, on condition that solution to Phase 1 of the e-tolls project is found."

[Phillip Coetser]

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E-tolls Still Apply.
Etoll saga is'nt over yet.
The National Treasury says the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) is still legally allowed to collect toll fees on Gauteng’s freeways. This is until the Gauteng provincial government commits to a plan on how to fund the highway network and use the tolling mechanism to raise the revenue it would need.
Regards

[Jan Horn]

So nothing really changed. Instead of Sanral the Gauteng Provincial government is now running the show.