E-toll decision to be announced in February budget – Mbalula

IN a State of Transport Entities briefing on November 26, Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula confirmed the likelihood of a decision on e-tolls being announced by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana when he delivers the Budget speech in February next year.

He mentioned that discussions regarding the e-toll matter and whether it would be scrapped were still ongoing in Cabinet.

The delay in this decision has been raised as a concern by the Auditor General (AG) in its yearly evaluation of the Department of Transport (DoT) and its 13 public entities, particularly highlighting the South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) and the Road Traffic Infringement Agency as impacted entities.

Mbalula explained that whether or not e-tolls were scrapped, it would have financial implications and those implications needed to be weighed up, particularly how government could generate revenue otherwise.

In his briefing, Mbalula said revenue generation was particularly relevant in a time when