Durban – The South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) has halted the mooted resumption of toll fee collection at the Umvoti and oThongathi toll gates near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal.
The collection of toll fees was set to resume on Wednesday (February 1, 2023) after it was suspended in April last year following devastating floods that gutted the M4 and some bridges along the R102 alternative route.
Sanral said there would be further consultations on the matter.
Several municipalities and individuals were opposed to the move as the alternative roads around the area have not been fully repaired yet.
BREAKING NEWS: SANRAL has halted the mooted resumption of toll fees collection at Umvoti and OThongathi toll gates near Durban in KwaZulu-Natal. The collection of toll fees was set to resume today after it was suspended in April last year following devastating floods.
— Sihle Mavuso (@ZANewsFlash) February 1, 2023
Late last month, the mayor of KwaDukuza local municipality, Lindile Nhaca, rejected the reinstatement of toll fees at the Umvoti toll plaza, which falls under the jurisdiction of her municipality.
Nhaca said the reinstatement of toll tariffs at Umvoti Toll Plaza could compromise the integrity of alternative routes and the economy of the area.
She pointed out to council members that “the reintroduction of the tariffs could only add unnecessary pressure to provincial roads and bridges which are due for repairs by the department”.
On behalf of her council, the mayor then addressed her formal objection to the decision, which she said was rushed.
“In the spirit of co-operative governance, I write on behalf of council to categorically object to your consideration to reinstate the payment of toll tees on the Umvoti Toll Plaza on the N2, believing that this could lead to unprecedented instability of our economy and disruption of livelihoods as a result of the anticipated congestions on these routes, especially the R102 since it is an alternative route of the N2,” she said.
“While we appreciate the significant progress achieved on the M4 in easing the congestion that was experienced at the aftermath of the floods, we equally wish to extend our heartfelt concern on your hasty consideration to reinstate the payment of toll fees at Umvoti Toll Plaza in the knowledge that the alternative route (R102) linking KwaDukuza and eThekwini has not yet been fully restored.
“True to form, the R102 and P103 are one of our mainstream economic facilitators and form part of our key avenues for the growth of our commercial industries. In addition, these routes continue to play a pivotal role in our economy as they empower business, service delivery and improve livelihoods.
“Both routes were heavily affected by the floods and remain albatrosses to KwaDukuza and its people,” Nhaca was quoted as saying by “The Mercury” newspaper.
After this backlash, Sanral backed down and said the collections would not be implemented as previously planned.
“The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) hereby announces that the resumption of toll fee collections at N2 oThongathi Mainline and Umvoti toll plazas has been postponed until further notice.
“This follows consultations on Tuesday, January 31, 2023, between Sanral, led by the chairman of the board, Themba Mhambi, and chief executive officer Reginald Demana, and the KwaZulu-Natal provincial government, as well as local government leaders, where the resumption of collection of toll fees was discussed.
“The provincial government of KwaZulu-Natal and Sanral agreed on Tuesday night that further consultations will take place shortly, following which an announcement regarding the resumption of toll fee collections will then be made,” Sanral said on Wednesday.
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