The elimination of e-tolls has been postponed until the new year

The e-toll system was supposed to be phased out by December 31, 2022, but the Gauteng government says this has been pushed out into the new year.

The provincial administration indicated in a statement released on Saturday that an agreement with the National Treasury to facilitate the deactivation of e-tolls had not yet been reached.

“… 31 December 2022, was pencilled as the day to deactivate the e-tolls billing system. However, due to the need to finalise key components of the MOU (memorandum of understanding) between the national government and the provincial government, the matter will be finalised in the new year (2023),” the statement read.

The South African National Road Agency has failed to recoup the expenses of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project through e-tolls, with many motorists refusing to pay them. Civil society organisations such as OUTA and the labour federation Cosatu also opposed the e-tolls. This increased Sanral’s debt burden to more than R40 billion.

At the tabled medium-term budget policy statement last year, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana said that the government would assume 70% of Sanral’s debt, while the province would assume 30%.

Soon after, Premier Panyazi Lesufi said that e-tolls will be phased out if an agreement with the National Treasury was reached by December 31.

The Gauteng government promised that the billing system will be decommissioned gradually.

“Premier Panyaza Lesufi wishes to assure Gauteng residents that there is no turning back on doing away with e-tolls,” the statement said.

A notification to turn off the e-tolls must be gazetted, and it will be deactivated 14 days after the gazette is published.

“The gazette will be released in early 2023, as agreed by the national Department of Transport,” according to the statement.