Only about 30% of invoices generated to motorists who use Gauteng\u2019s toll roads have been paid over a 24-month period, a response to a Parliamentary question revealed.<\/p>\n
In a response to a question asked by David Ross from the Democratic Alliance (DA), the Department of Transport set out the number of invoices that were sent out from April 2015 until March 2017.<\/p>\n
Of the more than 1.8 billion invoices that were issued in the past 24 months, more than 1.3 billion (more than 71%) were unpaid.<\/p>\n
In the answer provided, the department however pointed out that the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral) calculates the compliance rate in rand value, because invoices vary as a result of different tariffs in terms of things like the class of vehicle, time-of-day, and frequent user discounts.<\/p>\n
According to Sanral, the compliance rate of e-toll users for February 2017 was 29%.<\/p>\n
Ross also asked Transport Minister Joe Maswanganyi to provide the total outstanding amount that both registered and non-registered e-toll users owe Sanral, but the state-owned entity could only provide the amount owed by non-registered users, which as at the end of March 2016 amounted to R7.2 billion.<\/p>\n
The total outstanding debt could not be provided, Sanral said, as \u201cyear-end processes and audits\u201d still need to be concluded.<\/p>\n
In addition, the transport minister said both registered and non-registered e-toll users \u2013 whether they\u2019re individuals or companies \u2013 will be taken to court for non-payment of invoices, based on the merit of the case.<\/p>\n
In response to a separate question from Ross, Maswanganyi said the agency that is responsible for collection of e-tolls received payments of altogether R2.2 billion for full toll operations since the inception of e-tolls on 3 December 2013.<\/p>\n
Fin24 earlier reported that the company collecting payments for the contentious e-toll system in Gauteng has been fully owned by the Austrian conglomerate Kapsch since August last year.<\/p>\n
This came about after the divestment of the only black economic empowerment (BEE) partner in TMT Services & Supplies, with which Kapsch Trafficom made up the e-tolls collections company Electronic Toll Collections (ETC).<\/p>\n