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SANRAL’s Chief Executive Officer, Nazir Alli, says he welcomes the signing of the Transport Laws and Related Matters Bill into law and calls upon road users to get their e-tags as soon as possible to avoid the last minute rush.
 
“We at SANRAL have never doubted the commitment of the President to the policies of the government he leads. The Transport Minister is on record as saying that she was engaging the President’s office to expedite this matter. What has happened is a confirmation of that commitment from both the Presidency and the Minister’s office. We wish to encourage road users to get their e-tagsand register now that e-tolling will become a reality,” says Alli.
 
The new Act will facilitate the upgrading and development of the transport infrastructure and public transport in the Republic.
 
In effect the Act will provide more effectively for the collection of toll; to amend the Cross-Border Road Transport Act, 1998 (Act No. 4 of 1998), to empower the Cross-Border Road Transport Agency to collect toll on behalf of SANRAL; to provide that the regulations made by the Minister must be published by notice in the Gazette; to provide for the Minister to make regulations relating to specified toll-related matters; to provide for the Minister to publish draft regulations in the Gazette calling for public comment; to provide for certain presumptions relating to the driving, operation and use of vehicles on a toll roadand to amend the contents of the SANRAL Act.

Alli says the announcement is also welcome news for SANRAL because toll commencement will reassure investors that the roads agency is able to meet its financial obligations. “The delay in the announcement of the toll commencement date had put our toll portfolio under pressure. The signing of this law will ease the pressure and eliminate doubt in the minds of many road users who were waiting for certainty around e-tolling,” he says.
 
More than 600 000 Vehicle License plate Number (VLN) account units have been committed to date and SANRAL would like to see more road users obtaining e-tags and registering their e-toll accounts. “We have 17 permanent and 27 temporary e-toll Customer Service Outlets, located in malls around Gauteng and along the Gauteng e-roads where people can obtain and register their e-tags. We would like to reassure the public that once we have consulted with the Minister an official toll commencement date will be announced,” adds Alli.
 
Alternatively, road users can obtain their e-tags at participating Checkers, CNA, Pick n Pay, Shoprite and SPAR outlets and register their e-toll accounts online at www.sanral.co.za or by phoning the e-toll Call Centre on 0800 Sanral (726 725)
 
SANRAL will make further announcements after consultations with the Minister of Transport.