E-toll payments soon a thing of the past

Source: JMK via Wikimedia Commons

This comes after Transport Minister Sindisiwe Chikunga published in the Government Gazette a notice concerning the withdrawal of the toll declaration of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), popularly known as e- tolls.

“This declaration will be effective on 11 April 2024 at 23.59pm, which means that from 12 April 2024, road users will no longer be charged for the use of the e-toll network.

“It is important to note that, while these roads are no longer going to be tolled, the benefits of improved roads remain and that the gantries that have been installed for use on this scheme will continue to be used for other functions, such as fighting crime,” Chikunga said on Wednesday, 9 April, in Centurion.

The minister explained that the obligation to pay e-toll remains until midnight on 11 April 2024.

“Road users will not be required to do anything when e-tolling is cancelled. Importantly, ‘current valid accounts’ can still be used for payments at toll plazas and other value-added services (i.e. parking). This is critical for the ongoing, long-term benefit of interoperability.

“The tag beeps will stop after midnight on 11 April 2024. The gantry lights and cameras will remain on for road safety purposes. The e-toll website will be updated with respect to the cancellation, including Mobility/Tag account functionality for services, i.e. interoperability and parking, etc.

“The e-toll stores will remain open as the tag can still be used for interoperability, account queries and other potential transport-related services that will be determined in due course. The e-toll branding will be removed in phases,” the minister said.

E-toll invoices will be rolled up until the last day and issued up until this period.

Due to potential delays in the postal system, invoices will still be received sometime after 12 April 2024. However, no transactions post-midnight on 11 April 2024 will appear on the invoice or statement.

Although, the system of e-tolling was implemented after some consultation had taken place, it aggravated a lot of the public and concerned Cabinet.

“It is a concern that led to the formation of a three-member committee – made up of the Minister of Transport, Minister of Finance and Gauteng Premier – charged by President Cyril Ramaphosa in July 2019 to find a solution to the impasse.

“Between myself, as Minister of Transport, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana, and Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi, we finally reached agreement towards the end of March on how to conclusively deal with the debt resulting from e-tolls.

“…As a result, we were able to sign a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) to formalise alternative funding solutions for the GFIP debt repayment and deal with the backlog of maintenance and rehabilitation costs.

“We agreed that the MoA would also regulate the financial and funding contribution towards the SANRAL liability in compliance with the policy objectives and institutional framework for road infrastructure management in South Africa,” the minister said.

The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has resolved its long outstanding application for increased borrowing limits from Treasury.

This will allow the agency to approach the market to unlock funding from the private sector to fund its existing pipeline of capital expenditure projects.

“We hope that the resolution of the GFIP funding and the resultant withdrawal of e-tolls will give Gauteng motorists and South Africans in general certainty after a long period of uncertainty.

“We understand that the resolution of this issue might have taken longer than some people wanted, but it involved complex negotiations, which were handled in a mature and professional manner by all concerned,” Chikunga said.