The "drive-slow" protest against e-tolling started just after 09:00 on Thursday in Braamfontein and Katlehong, east of Johannesburg.

People were singing "Senzeni na" (What have we done [to deserve this]) outside Cosatu House to kickstart the protest.

Last week, the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) threatened to remove toll gantries "nicely", occupy Gauteng streets, and block freeways during the protest.

The South African National Roads Agency Limited has been at the forefront of the e-tolling project in Gauteng, but the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) brought a court application to have the project scrapped.

The court has yet to make a ruling following a judicial review of the system.

Meanwhile, motorists in Katlehong, east of Johannesburg, were sticking posters on their cars and windows ahead of the "drive slow" protest.

Pockets of people had assembled at the starting point in Masakhane Street in Katlehong and posters were handed out around 08:00.

Some posters read: "Tolling Gauteng highways must be scrapped" and "No to open road tolling systems."

There was high police visibility there, with some metro officers on bikes and others in riot gear.

Protesters were also seen gathering at gantries on the N3.

About police 20 cars had lined up, along with a Nyala armoured vehicle.

There was a similar atmosphere in Braamfontein, where stickers were handed to motorists and were stuck on cars.

Some stickers read: "Demolish e-tolls not houses", "Crash privatisation -open national roads", "Reclaim our national roads" and "Don't register with Sanral, don't buy e-tags".

Police visibility on Jorissen Street outside Cosatu House was also high.

Cosatu provincial chairperson Phutas Tseki said they would not interfere with the toll gantries, despite calls for them to be removed last week.

"We won't think of touching even one gantry. When we arrive at them we will stop and move on."

A National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (Numsa) member, Wally Rooi, who was in Johannesburg for a meeting decided to join the protest in the East Rand.

"I have to be here to support this action... It is affecting the poor. It is affecting all of us," he said.

"When they start it here, it will spread to other provinces."

Protester Tebogo Mokhudu said he was there to give his support against e-tolling.

"We are paying so much already... This is a third world country but we are living as if this is a first world country," he said.

"This is uncalled for. I am gatvol. Serious, I think today will make a difference."

He said the protest would send a message.

Protesters were told to keep a three-car space distance between them.

Earlier, Johannesburg metro police spokesman Superintendent Wayne Minnaar warned that no bicycles were allowed to be part of the "drive-slow" protest.

"Yes, tractors are allowed because it is a vehicle, but no bicycles are allowed," he said.

Last week, Cosatu urged protesters to participate with their bicycles.

Minnaar warned that vehicles which were not part of the protest and which blocked traffic would be towed away.

"If we could get 50 cars that would be great. It's not about the number of cars, it's about the message," Cosatu provincial secretary Dumisani Dakile said.

He was glad to hear that people were gathering at gantries,

"We're happy that people are at the gantries on their own. We're happy people are joining this action in one way or the other."

The two protests would take place on the N1, M2, M1, N3, N12, R24, and R21.