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Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. Photo: Gcina Ndwalane.
Continued pressure from Gauteng motorists has paid off: toll fees for the improved freeways have been slashed and the National Treasury will be paying off R5.75 billion of the debt incurred in building them.
Tolls will start being levied from 30 April and transport minister Sbu Ndebele warned that compliance would be enforced through the promulgation of new laws.
Finance minister Pravin Gordhan on Wednesday told journalists ahead of the national budget being tabled before parliament that this was not necessarily the model that would be followed with future infrastructure projects but said that the government had learned lessons from the extremely negative public reaction.
Ndebele acknowledged that Gauteng motorists’ demands were “not unreasonable” but that it was not possible for national government to have picked up the entire R20 billion tab for the upgrade of the road network.
Gordhan said that the national government’s direct contribution to the costs and the cutting of toll fees showed that it was “extremely sensitive” to the concerns that had arisen about how much motorists were going to have to pay to use the 185km network.
However he warned that there would be no deviation from the user pays principle, saying that nothing can be provided – except to the poorest – without some contribution from the user.
A toll gate on the N1 North just before the Beyers Naude offramp in Gauteng. Photo: Dumisani Sibeko
Independent Newspapers
Vehicles with e-tags will pay 30c per kilometre, down from 66c previously, motorcycles will pay 20c per kilometre and non-articulated and articulated trucks would pay 75c and R1.51 per kilometre respectively.
An important concession for regular road users is that their monthly tolls will be capped at R550 a month and here will be a 15% discount in the rates after their toll fees reach R400.
Heavy vehicles will qualify for a 20 percent discount if they use the roads at certain times. This will also help avoid congestion.
Taxis and other public transport operators will be exempt from toll fees.
Gordhan also said that the Gauteng provincial government would upgrade the R55 and R101 provincial roads to provide alternatives to the tolled roads and that there would be a continued investment in other forms of public transport.
The SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) will be left with a total debt of R59 billion and, according to a statement released at the press conference, “to ensure sustainability, the minister of transport will table the necessary legislation to provide Sanral with enforcement powers for tolling.” - Political Bureau
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Anonymous, wrote
Who the goverment kidding.... They are using our tax money to foot the bill.... then we must use more of our own money... We are already on the bottom of the food & salary chain.... Whereto now ??
Truthful James, wrote
"Taxis and other public transport operators will be exempt from toll fees." So . . . what to you do? Ofcourse . . do the same as that Brit who registered his vehicle as a TAXI to avoid the London Congestion charge. So . . before there is a big queue . . register your personal vehicle and Taxis will be exempt from toll fees.
Don Coyote, wrote
The classical manoeuvre: Scare the hell out of everyone with 66 ckm, then make 30 ckm look like a reasonable proposition. IT STINKS!!!
Dieselhead, wrote
A couple of points of contention here: The taxi's are not the only road-users who make their living on the roads, what about couriers, delivery companies, farmers and others who have no choice but to use the roads to deliver their goods to market? Also, how the hell are car hire companies going to deal with this stupidity? Joe Blogg hires a car, drives 500 km on the toll-roads then goes back to his home country. How the hell do they get him to pay???? This is totally unworkable and should indeed be scrapped. Out of a 1 trillion rand budget, and the government already ready to bail SANRAL out to the tune of R5.75 billion, if they do that the next four years, the debt is killed, and it can and should be done without tolls!
Anonymous, wrote
I love it I pay taxes when I fill up, I pay taxes to keep my car on the road every year, and now I have to pay for the 3rd time and once i've paid my car will still still hit a giant hole that our government promised to fix. Why should taxi's be exempt they use the road more than anyone else avoid paying any other tax or drive unroadworthy vehicles and we must pay for them thanks once again gov good job looking after the nation..
Jakes, wrote
THIS IS STILL NOT GOOD ENOUGH. IF TAXI WERE TO PAY THEY WOULD BURN THESE TOLL BOOTHS. GOVT SCARED OF TAXIS SO CONVENIENT NOT TO CHARGE THEM. ORDINARY MOTORIST ARE THE SCAPEGOATS. THIS TOLLS SHOULD BE BANNED. GOVERNMENT SHOULD RECOVER BILLIONS STOLEN FROM INCOMPETENT MINSTERS AND PAY OR THESE TOLLS
Ruan, wrote
They don't get it, do they? I will not pay even R0.01 to drive 10 kilometers. I'm a tax paying citizen and my tax is being stolen by greedy ANC politicians. I'm not paying twice for something. Finish. Lock me up, rape me, torture me. I don't care. I have had enough now!
HARRIS KAPLAN, wrote
MR MINISTER , Before you collect any further taxes via any means whatsoever, STOP THE CORRUPTION IN THE GOVERMENT AND MUNICIPALITIES SIR. You are a very well educated person. Put your money where your mouth is and help the public . Show us you really care Have you got hte guts to go against your colleagues who are thriving with corruption. Speak up Sir, Take a stand , the whole country will back you. Lets see if you take up this challenge. STOP THE CORRUPTION AND YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO MILK US CITIZENS TO DEATH AND PAY SUCH RIDICULOUS ASTRONOMICAL FEES TO COLLECT OUR HARD EARNED MONIES. DON'T KILL THE HEN THAT LAYS THE GOLDEN EGG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Greg M, wrote
I say "DROP THE TOLL AND DROP THE GOVERNMENT" The state gets Taxes to supply infrastructure and this is the Economic heart of the country.Note the increases in petrol road accident fund etc all to fund corrucption and maladministration
Anonymous, wrote
MTV, wrote
This is madness. on top of petrol i still have to pay toll.we will not affoard it. this has to be scrapped totally. everyday traffic is still a mess on the N1.
Anonymous, wrote
Couldn't find ZAR 20 billion for SANRAL. What about the R20 billion of taxpayers money "lost" through corruption?
Anonymous, wrote
Back COSATU on this. Just don't pay. It's legalised theft from the motorist.And taxis are exempt because the govt knows they wouldn't pay anyway. There will be more South Africans in jail than on the roads if govt tries to force this injustice through.
Anonymous, wrote
government was foolish and could have saved BILLIONS by using revenue streams already in place and not duplicating by creating inefficient toll systems. Saying we couldn't find R20billion over several years is really saying we didn't plan properly for this. It's absolute nonsense when the annual budget is one trillion and we can deal with that every year
Anonymous, wrote
Coloureds, Indians and Blacks were shoved in areas like Ennerdale,Lenasia and Soweto under apartheid, and now we must pay ridiculous tolls on the N1 to get to work as far away as Pretoria. NO WAY!
Anonymous, wrote
Mrs Frise - taxis are exempt because its an expense that they incur in the production of income unlike us who use the toll roads for personal use.npb2
Buskien, wrote
STN, wrote
EYE for an EYE, wrote
My Bike gets +25km per Liter of petrol. This equates to R10.95 per liter divided by 25 km = R 0.438 per KM. Thus 20 cents per km pushes cost up to R0.638 an increase of 45% just added onto my traveling. I will purchase a off road an drive the pothole ridden backroads. At least I do not require a licence ( disk or number plate. BIKERS STAND together lets cause some fun on these toll roads!!!
Anonymous, wrote
Anonymous@2.53pm : Agree with with the twitface comment. No self-respecting newspaper should subject itself to exclusive access via a Facebook style organisation. (Facebook has its own rules about press freedom, anonymity and revealing of personal information)
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