Thapelo Lekabe An e-toll gantry along the N1 near Roodepoort. Picture: Michel Bega
Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni says the Cabinet has not taken a decision on the scrapping of e-tolls in Gauteng province.
This is after SAFM reported on Thursday morning Gauteng transport MEC Jacob Mamabolo said a final decision had been taken to get rid of the controversial e-tolls.
But the MEC later told
The Citizen this was not true, saying instead a decision on the future of e-tolls was “imminent”.
Speaking at a post-Cabinet briefing in Pretoria, Ntshavheni said Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula was continuing to update the Cabinet about how to deal with the e-tolls.
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With a final cabinet decision on e-tolls still pending, many were still heartened by Gauteng Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure MEC Jacob Mamabolo indicating the scrapping of the controversial system in an interview with SAfm.
“We are waiting for that to be formalised, but where we are there is no turning back on the e-tolls. The e-tolls are a thing of the past and we are waiting for that to be formalised or confirmed,” said Mamabolo.
However, Acting Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni subsequently said Gauteng has always lobbied the national government to scrap e-tolls, but there was no final cabinet decision yet on the issue. He said Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula continues to table various reports around e-tolls.
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The state-owned South African National Roads Agency SOC Ltd. has faced resistance to e-tolls from motorists since their inception in 2013. Sanralâs debt to the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project may increase by two-thirds to about R67 billion ($4.9 billion) if the tolls are canceled, the Johannesburg-based Sunday Times reported in September.
The e-toll system has been a sticking point between the national government and the provincial authorities for years. Finance Minister Tito Mboweni has insisted that the user-pay principle for Gautengâs road upgrades will stay in place because the Treasury canât pick up Sanralâs debt bill.
Roy Cokayne Minister denies being ‘a rogue’ and misleading the National Council of Provinces on the matter. File picture. An E-toll gantry is seen along the N1 near Roodepoort, 28 February 2021. Picture: Michel Bega
A decision by the government on the future of the e-toll system on the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) is “imminent”.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula, who has previously made several commitments about the deadline for government to announce a decision on the controversial scheme, said this after delivering his budget vote speech on Friday.
“I’m not a rogue. I’m part of a collective and part of cabinet. E-tolls is a decision that requires government. Yes, I lead that. That is my responsibility.