Business organisations on Tuesday called on the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) to delay the implementation of the e-toll system on Gauteng's upgraded highways until uncertainty, particularly around the proposed toll fees, was cleared up.

South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Sacci) CEO Neren Rau said Sanral should delay the implementation of the e-tolling system until the “specifics” have been clarified and use the opportunity to further explore alternatives to reduce the cost to businesses and consumers.

Sanral, which plans to start e-tolling on the upgraded highways on April 30, announced this week that road users who did not register for e-tags and those that did not pay the toll fees within seven days of using the freeway would ultimately pay R1.75c/km, compared to the standard tariff of 30c/km for registered users.

“The discrepancy between this rate and the ‘normal’ tariff begs the question of the degree to which alternate users will subsidise other road users (including those who are exempt) and the correlation (or the lack thereof) between the ‘penalty rate’ and the cost of maintaining the road infrastructure,” Rau questioned.

Business Unity South Africa (Busa) also criticised Sanral’s handling of communication around the e-toll system and said that consultation between government and its social partners was inadequate.

“It is disappointing that Sanral, which plans to launch the e-tolling system on April 30, has not fully addressed the public’s concerns. This should have been done several months ago. The continued uncertainty and confusion around the e-tolling system only increases unnecessary pressure and insecurity for all stakeholders in the economy,” it stated.

Sacci and Busa stated that the tariff schedule would further add to the already significant increases in the costs of doing business in the province, which accounts for about one-third of South Africa’s gross domestic product.

Rau pointed to small and medium-sized enterprises passing on increases to the consumer, as they would not be able to absorb the rising costs of freight transport.

Busa stated that, while it understood the logistical challenges faced in ensuring the payment of e-toll fees, regulations regarding the policing of the e-toll system were “extreme” and placed “onerous and extensive burdens” on business.

The lack of alignment between the amended legislation and other legislation already in existence further impacted on the costs of conducting business in South Africa, Busa said in a statement.

Sacci commented that the regulations primarily served to introduce a non-State police force on Gauteng highways to ensure that road users pay their e-toll fees.

“There is no clarity on the cost of introducing such a policing structure and the cost of maintaining it. It is safe to assume that the cost of such a structure adds significantly to the toll tariffs that will be imposed,” said Rau.

Further concerns included those around the introduction of powers to a non-State police force to search and confiscate private property and why such an additional force was required if the electronic payment-capturing methods installed were expected to perform as intended.

Rau also pointed to the high incidence of road- and traffic-related crime such as hijacking and use of false police uniforms by criminals in committing these crimes, adding that Sanral and the Department of Transport should be aware of the challenging nature of giving a non-State force powers to stop, search and confiscate vehicles.

The Automobile Association, which believes that the fuel levy should be used to fund the roads, last week also questioned the need for a dedicated traffic police force committed to Sanral.

“Surely the provincial and municipal traffic police are more than competent to fulfil the requirements of traffic law enforcement on all South African roads, including those routes under Sanral jurisdiction.”

Meanwhile, civil rights group AfriForum said it would oppose Sanral’s decision to levy a tariff of R1.75/km on road users not registered for e-tolls in court.

CEO Kallie Kriel believed that Sanral abused “punative tariffs” to entrench its dominant and noncompetitive position in an irregular manner. He stated that the Competition Act stipulated that no dominant company was allowed to abuse its position of dominance in order to levy excessive tariffs.