Transport minister Joe Maswanganyi on Tuesday refuted a media report that government has proposed new laws “following the dismal failure of e-tolling revenue collection from Gauteng motorists who owe more that R6 billion in unpaid tolls”.<\/p>\n
Maswanganyi was responding to a front page article published by The Star newspaper <\/a>on Monday, August 28.<\/p>\n “The article is disingenuous and misleads the public about government\u2019s position on the tolling policy, the Sanral Act and the National Land Transport Act,” he said in a statement.<\/p>\n He said his department understands that the proposed amendment is by the Democratic Alliance and will be raised as a private member’s bill in Parliament.<\/p>\n “Presenting the bill as an initiative of the Department of Transport, the executive and Sanral is both mischievous and misleading,” he said.<\/p>\n Maswanganyi said he had indicated during his department’s 2017\/2018 budget vote that Sanral is in the process of developing a long term strategy, Horizon 2030, aligned with the National Development Plan (NDP).<\/p>\n “The strategy will enable the development of a 2030 Roads Plan and will review Sanral’s operating model. Also, the new strategy will trigger the development of a new toll roads policy which the Department of Transport will lead,” he said.<\/p>\n ‘A failed e-Natis system’<\/strong><\/p>\n He also accused Outa chair Wayne Duvenage of being “economic with the truth when he insinuates that the e-Natis has failed”.<\/p>\n Duvenage had reportedly said the amendments would protect motorists.<\/p>\n “It will be better if the consultations are done by the National Council of Provinces [NCOP] and provinces which are affected. This will mean the public is consulted meaningfully, unlike in the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project – which is why it failed.<\/p>\n “We have a failed e-Natis system and we have problems with the administration of traffic fines, and so we believe the context of the environment is one which e-tolling will fail in South Africa,” he was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n Maswanganyi said Duvenage knows that government has been in control of e-Natis following the Constitutional Court ruling in favour of the department.<\/p>\n “The department has since taken the decision that the Road Traffic Management Corporation [RTMC] is the preferred entity to take over the running of the system from Tasima.<\/p>\n “The Court pronouncement on November 9, 2016 granted the Department of Transport and the RTMC leave to terminate the illegal and irregular extension of the Tasima contract,” he said.<\/p>\n On April 7 this year, the Gauteng High Court confirmed the ruling of the Constitutional Court in favour of the Department of Transport, according to Maswanganyi.<\/p>\n