Sanral in new push to ‘criminalise’ those not paying e-tolls

South Africa could “become the first country in the world to attempt to criminalise over a million of its own citizens for their conscientious objections”.
That’s according to an Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) statement on Monday‚ which warned of “serious consequences for the legitimacy of the state” if it accedes to a request from the SA National Roads Agency Ltd (Sanral) to withhold vehicle licences for outstanding e-toll bills.
It said the request‚ made by Sanral CEO Nazir Alli to a parliamentary portfolio Committee last Thursday‚ “is clearly part of their coercive strategy to get motorists to start paying e-tolls or face the possibility of criminal prosecution for driving without a vehicle licence”.
“It is Outa’s opinion that if Sanral is able to convince Parliament to approve their regulatory changes‚ this could lead South Africa to become the first country in the world to attempt to criminalie over a million of its own citizens for their conscientious objections to the unlawful and irrational conduct of an organ of state‚” said chairman Wayne Duvenage.
“We maintain our position that the e-toll scheme and the decision to toll Gauteng freeways was an unlawful and irrational decision.”
Duvenage also questioned how Sanral was allowed to declare R6.1-billion of “outstanding revenue as declarable and achievable”.
This figure was gleaned from Sanral’s released annual report which‚ Outa said‚ made “clear that Sanral was only able to collect a paltry R1.1-billion of the more than R9.95-billion it had invoiced motorists…during the financial period ending March 31‚ 2015”.
“Sanral’s annual report indicates that only R3.8-billion of the R9.95-billion that Sanral had invoiced motorists – 38% – meets the accounting standards as declarable revenue‚” Outa said.
“The difference of R6.1-billion consists of e-toll revenues charged at the exhorbitant ‘alternative tariffs’ which were intended to coerce motorists to sign up at the lower e-tag rates‚ but which clearly did not have the desired impact.”
Said Duvenage: “No accounting firm worth its salt will allow a business to reflect 71% of outstanding revenue‚ a lot of which is over a year old‚ as being achievable.”
More on e-tolls
E-tolls collapsed a long time ago: Outa
E-tolls on the verge of collapsing: report
ANC Youth League wants e-tolls scrapped
Outa urges public to comment on e-tolls