‘Gauteng to pay 30% of e-toll debt’

Gauteng Treasury will pay its portion of the e-toll debt, MEC for finance Jacob Mamabolo, pictured, said yesterday during his 2024 provincial budget speech, promising the issue would be resolved by 31 March.

“The Gauteng government has agreed to contribute 30% to settling Sanral’s [South African National Roads Agency] debt and interest obligations, while national government covers 70%,” he said.

This after Gauteng premier Panyaza Lesufi struck a 70/30 settlement agreement with Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana.

Mamabolo said the province had approached financial institutions to raise the funds needed to fulfil its part of the bargain.

The 31 March deadline to end e-tolling remains unchanged.

Meanwhile, contrary to popular expectations, the e-tolls gantries will not be switched off. “The gantry lights and cameras will remain on as they will continue to be operated for other law enforcement purposes but will no longer be used for e-toll collection,” Mamabolo said.

“With regards to the cancellation of the e-toll, 14 days after the publishing of the deregulation gazette, Gauteng road users will no longer be charged for the use of the Gauteng freeways.”

He said various processes were yet to be followed, including turning off tag beeps and stopping invoices to motorists. “As part of the winding down process, statutory authorities at national level – National Treasury, the national department of transport and Sanral – will carry out all the necessary steps to cease the collection of e-tolls and gazette accordingly.”

However, Mamabolo said road users would still be able to continue using their e-tags at toll plazas countrywide, as long as their accounts remained active.

A maintenance plan for the gantries was a second key condition to Gauteng’s agreement with National Treasury.

Mamabolo said while provision had been made to settle the e-tolls debt, matters relating to maintenance would be discussed and concluded through a separate process.

“We have held engagements with Sanral, and they confirmed the e-tolls maintenance backlog of R4.1 billion and that funding will be required over a period of four years,” he said.