Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula Says eTolls Will Be Scrapped But South Africans Will Still Have to Pay

• Fikile Mbalula, the Minister of Transport, says Cabinet ministers have already made a decision about cancelling e-tolls
• Mbalula says the official announcement will be made next year by Minister of Finance Enoch Gondogwana
• South Africans say they can't get excited about the cancellation of e-tolls just yet until it has been made official

JOHANNESBURG - Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula says the decision on the continuation of e-tolls in the Gauteng province has already been taken by Cabinet but a formal announcement will be made in February 2022.

Mbalula says the Cabinet decided to scrap the e-tolling scheme, however the National Treasury halted the implementation of the decision.

“When we went to Cabinet, a decision was taken. When it was supposed to be implemented to scrap the e-tolls, Treasury said ‘No, wait’,” said Mbalula.

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Mbalula says Minister of Finance Enoch Gondogwana will make the official announcement about e-tolls at the next Budget speech next year, according to MoneyWeb.

Cost implications of scrapping e-tolls

Mbalula says e-toll will still need to be paid for irrespective of whether they get cancelled or not.

Mbalula says there was a discussion with the government's creditors and it has become clear that e-tolls will need to be paid for in some way because there are financial implications involved, according to BusinessTech.

Sanral’s chief executive Skhumbuzo Macozoma says cancelling e-tolls is more expensive than keeping the tolling system and will affect all South Africans.

South Africans are waiting for an official announcement

Heading online, South Africans say they will wait for an official announcement from the South African government before they get excited about the scrapping of e-tolls.

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Here are some of their comments:

@jakkals90210 said:

"Well...I'll believe it when it's official. We all know the merry-go-round on e-tolls has been ongoing for a while."

@MyranPaul10 said:

"As we all know factors, seeing is believing and hearing is deceiving, hopefully, the truth will be seen and heard promptly."

@Phuthi53050848 said:

"They must scrap the e-tolls it's not like they're doing any favours since they were there one's who came up with disastrous toll system now they want to cover up their criminality and looting we must be the ones who must pay they'll not get a cent from me these thugs!"

@MarleneduPles11 said:

"Desperate for votes - too little - too late."

@Cpt_Battuta said:

"They will add a caveat. We will scrap only if you all pay outstanding toll fees"

Jacob Mamabolo says scrapping billion rand e-toll system is "imminent”

Briefly News previously reported that Transport MEC Jacob Mambolo has said that the decision to cancel e-toll in the Gauteng region is an imminent one. While Mambolo made it clear that he is not saying e-tolls have already been scrapped in the area, many people have taken it that way.

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Stephen Grootes recently announced that e-tolls have been scrapped and this left Mambolo claiming that the radio host had "distorted" his words.

Mambolo then did an interview with a local publication to set the record straight that he did not say it was officially scrapped but rather that the decision was going to be made - eventually.

Source: Briefly News