National road tolls up 6.25% from 1 March

South Africans will have to pay more to use national roads from 1 March, the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has confirmed.

Sanral confirmed tolls will cost an additional 6.25%, which was gazetted earlier this month.

According to a notice published in the Government Gazette, the toll fee hike will be applied to toll routes and plazas countrywide, including the N3 and N17, plus the Platinum, Huguenot and Tsitsikamma toll roads.

Sanral said the tariffs were adjusted annually, in line with the consumer price index as obtained from Statistics SA. The 2024 hike was lower than the 6.58% adjustment last year.

Sanral spokesperson Vusi Mona said the tolls were important to maintain, operate and improve toll roads and service debt.

Key economic infrastructure, such as the national road network, was a precondition for providing basic services, such as electricity, water, sanitation, telecommunications and public transport which needed to be robust and extensive enough to meet industrial, commercial and household needs.

“Sanral is empathetic to the South African public, considering the current state of the economy,” he said.

“However, it is equally important to introduce the adjustments to ensure the agency continues to deliver safe and quality roads to benefit all road users.”

According to the new Sanral, toll tariffs, the N1 Platinum route toll fees for standard light vehicles would increase by between R7 and R97, while the busy N3 route between R20 and R94.

The main route between Heidelberg and Pietermaritzburg, which used to cost R293 for a standard car, would increase by R18 to R311.

The new toll fees would be applied to four classes of vehicles – class one, or light vehicles, class two, or medium-heavy vehicles, class three, or large vehicles, and class four, or extra-large, heavy vehicles.

Sanral said motorists would be entitled to a discount or a toll concession card if they frequently used toll routes.