THE TRANSPORT Department anticipates that it will take a maximum of three months to amend the Road Traffic Act regulations to allow for the withholding of vehicle licence renewal discs until outstanding e-toll accounts are paid.
Earlier reports said it would take up to 18 months to finalise the amendments, but spokesman Tiyani Ponto-Rikhotso said on Friday that the department had already started the process to amend the regulations and believed it would not take more than three months to complete.
Ponto-Rikhotso said the department was working around the clock to publish the draft regulations for comment, but would not be cutting any corners and would follow the process as prescribed by law.
Dawie Buys, an insurance risk manager at the SA Insurance Association (Saia), said it was concerned about this planned measure, but at this stage did not have a formal position on it because “it is still early days”.
“We have taken cognisance of the matter and we will be discussing the implications of such a move with our members via our motor committee, which will be meeting on June 11,” he said. Buys said Saia hoped to have a formal position after this committee meeting, but would in the meantime be monitoring the situation on a continuing basis.
The AA said on Friday that neither the National Road Traffic Act, e-toll legislation nor the Sanral Act contained any provision for an authority to withhold a vehicle licence disc for outstanding e-tolls.
It said licensing authorities had to issue licences in accordance with the existing law until the National Road Traffic Act regulations were amended after due process to effect the withholding of vehicle licences for outstanding e-tolls. – Roy Cokayne