Sanral stands by e-tag sales figures

·12 Dec 2013

Sanral has dismissed claims from Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) that it is fabricating its e-tag sales numbers to more than double the reality.

According to the latest figures released by Sanral, Gauteng road users have purchased 890,388 e-tags, to date – almost 40% of the 2.3 million monthly road users in the province.

However, citing its own research, counting physical e-tags on vehicles using Joburg roads, Outa claims that the true penetration figure is as low as 350,000, or 15%.

“Outa’s Wayne Duvenhage simply cannot resist playing in the mud even during such a period in South Africa,” Sanral fired back in a statement on Thursday (12 December).

“He (Duvenage) has become an “expert” on this project, even as he sits outside Sanral. But it doesn’t stop there. Even on matters judicial, he has firm views on how court rulings should go in spite of what judges have pronounced.

“The e-tag sales figures we have released are accurate. As a state-owned entity, everything we do is subject to audit processes by both the Auditor General and our external auditors. We have no reason to “fabricate” these figures as Outa alleges.

“We are confident of meeting our debt obligations and the improved rating by Moody’s a few days after toll commencement, though still negative, is an indication of a modest step in the right direction.

“As for Outa’s research, unless the sources of the information are known and found to be sound, we will not attach much value to it. We don’t know what equipment has been used, with which technical specifications and standards it complies and where it has been installed.”