E-toll write-off not on the cards, says minister
Transport Minister Joe Maswanganyi dismissed on Wednesday speculation that his department was considering writing off billions of rand in e-toll debt in Gauteng.
Resistance to the toll fees in Gauteng has been particularly strong, leaving the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) being owed close to R9.2bn in unpaid fees with the default bill said to be growing at R230m every month.
Maswanganyi was replying to questions from members of Parliament on Wednesday afternoon. His reply followed the release of Sanral’s annual report, in which Auditor-General Kimi Makwetu said noncompliance would affect Sanral’s status as a going concern.
Maswanganyi said Sanral was considering an impairment of part of the debt and any decision to write off tolling debt or to abandon the user-pays system would have to be taken at cabinet level. “The e-toll debt has not been written off and there is no intention [to do so]. Sanral has applied accounting treatment to impair R3.6bn of the debt.
“The e-tolls will not be scrapped on the basis of impairment and any future decision on the matter will be decided and discussed by Cabinet.”
EFF MP Tilivhali Mulaudzi said it was absurd for the government to cling to the e-tolling system with compliance levels as low as they were. He queried the sanity of embracing a system that Gauteng motorists had rejected.
Mulaudzi told the minister it