Johannesburg - The SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has twisted the SA Chamber of Commerce and Industry's (Sacci) stance on e-tolling, the organisation said on Tuesday.
Sacci chief executive Neren Rau said it wished to clarify its position on e-tolls.
“Sacci remains opposed to e-tolls because of the high collection costs and the overall burden the tolls will have on the economy,” he said in a statement.
“However, Sacci will advise its members to abide by the law if the e-toll law is implemented on December 3 because of the high cost of non-compliance.”
Rau said the organisation had been in talks with the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) on e-tolling, and that their concerns had been shared with the government.
Sanral spokesman Vusi Mona said on Tuesday that the company welcomed Sacci's support for e-tolling.
“Big business is a vital part of the economy of not only this province, but of the country. It is therefore a significant endorsement to have its (Sacci's) backing,” Mona said.
Sanral said it offered a number of e-tolling services to businesses, including bulk registration, and fleet registration.
The bulk registration service offered groups of people (in excess of 50) tolling registration at a venue of their choice. The fleet registration service was offered to companies with fleets of vehicles.
Last week, Transport Minister Dipuo Peters announced that e-tolling would begin on December 3. Several organisations, unions and political parties said they were disappointed by the move. - Sapa