The controversial e-tolling project around Gauteng's freeways, which was meant to kick off this month, has been held up by president Jacob Zuma, while the Austrian agency tasked by the state to handle the project says the system has been delayed.
The SA National Roads Agency (Sanral) has said several times that e-tolls would come into effect this month, and that it was ready. This comes amid a recent Cabinet reshuffle that saw former transport minister Ben Martins being replaced by Dipuo Peters - former minister of energy - and a lack of clarity on revised tariffs.
While the Department of Transport (DOT) has failed to respond to repeated queries regarding the kick-off of the publicly contested system, a Bloomberg report says Kapsch TrafficCom - the Austrian company commissioned for the development, integration and maintenance of e-tolls - has affirmed it has once again been delayed.
Citing a Kapsch spokesperson, Bloomberg says discussions with South African authorities over a "legal framework" for the e-toll system are taking longer than expected. Vusi Mona, Sanral spokesman, says the start date is when the Transport and Related Matters Amendment Bill becomes law.
The Bill, known as the E-toll Bill, is currently with the president's office awaiting his signature, says Mona. "Announcement of commencement will be made by the Department of Transport once advised by the Presidency about the Bill being signed into law."
Mona says Sanral cannot implement something that has not yet been signed into law.
Meanwhile, the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) is set to appeal a High Court decision in favour of the system ? which it believes is immoral and unnecessary - in September.
Outa chairperson Wayne Duvenage says Sanral's continual postponement of e-toll implementation is an indication that it is not ready.
We wonder what the real reasons are that this is taking them so long, says Outa chairperson Wayne Duvenage.
"It has been months since the Constitutional Court set aside the initial interdict to allow Sanral to start tolling ? something they claimed they could and would do within two weeks of a ruling in their favour. We wonder what the real reasons are that this is taking them so long."
Duvenage says, if implemented, the e-toll system will end in disaster - like Portugal's SCUT system.
Brendan de Beer, editor of Portugal's largest circulation English newspaper, The Portugal News, says a month down the line since the country's roads agency admitted to financial ruin, it has emerged that companies have racked up millions in unpaid toll fees.
"Unpaid debts by companies have now reached several million euros. One company was found to have accumulated debts in excess of EUR600 000 (about R7.8 million) between unpaid tolls, penalties and admin costs."
The Democratic Alliance (DA) has called on Sanral and the DOT to scrap the e-toll project, lest SA ends up in the same mess.
Ian Ollis, shadow minister of transport at the DA, says it is obvious that neither Sanral, nor the DOT, has conducted thorough research into the viability of e-tolling. "If they did, they negligently opted to ignore the Portuguese example."
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