Motorists who have paid e-tolls over the years will be refunded, Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has promised, as the government embarks on the process to deactivate the controversial system.
Lesufi told Radio 702 on Tuesday that people who have paid their e-tolls over the years will have their money refunded. He said the decision on whether or not to refund Gauteng motorists was one of the main issues that had caused the delay in scrapping the system on December 31, 2022.
The move to scrap e-tolls in Gauteng involves a legislative process that includes the publication of regulation amendments in a government gazette. However, provinces have expressed differing views regarding the details of the changes, including whether motorists who have diligently paid over the years should be refunded.
Lesufi earlier assured motorists in a statement that e-tolling would be scrapped in early 2022.
"We hope it is done within the next 14 days before the state of the province address,” Lesufi told 702. He added that 95% of the issues around e-tolling had been resolved and that the government had decided to refund motorists who have been dutifully paying e-tolls.
The number of users who would be refunded was not large as the system had a 17% compliance rate, although the refund sum was around R6.9 billion, he added. Many of the compliant road users are freight firms, businesses and foreigners who preferred the convenience of e-tolls.
A decision on the matter would be made and announced during the state of the province address later this month, he said.
“It’s clear we have to refund people. We will refund people who have paid. The outstanding debate is the manner in which they will be refunded,” Lesufi said.
The government is exploring whether to give motorists a cash refund or a credit that they can use to pay for other tolls or services.
Lesufi added that Gauteng’s e-toll debt still needed to be paid off, and options being explored included raising licence fees, manual tolling of vehicles entering the province, and a possible three-cent per litre fuel increase in the province.
“There are various mechanisms, but we don’t want to commit the same mistake as e-tolls of imposing a transaction without consulting. No one is opposed to the payment of the debt, but the issue is the e-tolls. We will consult our residents.”
