No decision to scrap e-toll system – Treasury
National Treasury has moved to clarify the status of the controversial e-tolls system in Gauteng.
Speaking at the medium-term budget policy statement briefing to Parliament’s finance and appropriations committees by the finance minister on Thursday, acting director-general Ismail Momoniat said the decision is still subject to further discussions with the relevant stakeholders.
When tabling the mini-budget on Wednesday, Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana announced that the Gauteng provincial government had agreed to contribute 30% to settle the South African National Roads Agency Limited’s (Sanral) debt and interest obligations, while the national government would cover 70% of the debt.
This amounts to a transfer of over R23.7 billion from the national fiscus to Sanral to pay off government-guaranteed debt – conditional on a solution to phase 1 of the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project.
“We are still in the process of working on a formal agreement with the province and that’s just the outline of what we have. At this stage there’s certainly no decision to scrap the e-toll system nor to transfer roads. Those, to the extent that anything would happen, would be subject to discussion and process. We’ve got to discuss with bondholders.”
Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has nevertheless welcomed the development, adding that the provincial government would engage residents on a feasible collection model towards their portion of the R47 billion debt.
“We will consult the people of Gauteng because the principal debt that we have accepted we need to pay as the people of Gauteng is 30%, and we don’t want to impose how that 30% will be collected. We will consult the people of Gauteng and they will guide us,” Lesufi said.
The premier said they would also discuss ways to repurpose the gantries and other resources related to e-tolls.
Meanwhile, Transport Fikile Mbalula says the bondholders are only interested in the repayment of the debt.
“When I talked to the bond people when I was doing the rounds in London, they said ‘we don’t care what mechanism you employ to pay us, as long as the debt is settled,” he said.
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