Announcement on e-tolls before June
Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula said yesterday a decision regarding the controversial e-tolls has been made, but it has to first be approved by Cabinet.
Amid uncertainty on whether e-tolls will be scrapped or not, motorists in Gauteng who do pay their e-toll accounts are already paying a higher tariff after the South African National Road Agency Limited increased the price by 5% in line with the consumer price index.
Mbalula said the transport department would communicate about e-tolls. “There is already a decision on the table which we must take to Cabinet, and then from there we will tell you what is the final decision,” he said.
“So I hope we can finalise that
before June with the minister of finance.”
He also said there would be no more reprieves and extensions after the driving licence renewal grace period lapses next Thursday.
Mbalula said currently the country has a backlog of 1.3 million expired driving licence cards that have yet to be renewed.
“Analysis of the backlog by age of drivers who have not renewed their driving licence cards show that motorists between the ages of 25 and 50 years constitute 68% of drivers who have yet to renew their licence cards,” Mbalula said.
“With only a week left to the final deadline for the extended grace period for renewal of driving licence cards that expired between 26 March, 2020 and 31 August, 2021, we encourage all those who have yet to come forward to renew their licences to do so without delay.
“There will be no further extension of the grace period beyond this period.”
Automobile Association spokesperson Layton Beard said problems at driving licence testing centres and online bookings remained unresolved in many areas and “motorists become frustrated with a constant struggle and eventually abandon efforts to renew their documents”.
“We agree with the minister that motorists must take responsibility for renewing their licences, but we disagree that ‘everything has been done to remove the obstacles’,” said Beard.
“Until every testing centre in South Africa operates at the same levels as the two flagship centres in Gauteng, we cannot accept that everything is being done to accommodate all motorists.
“Until this is the case, we will continue to argue for an extension of the renewal deadline.”