etolls blacklist sanral gauteng

e-Tag lane at the Carousel Toll Plaza on the N1-south in northern Gauteng, South Africa, 3 May 2015. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/JMK

E-tolls: Sanral is now blacklisting motorists for unpaid fees

A Gauteng resident learned this week that he was blacklisted for e-toll fees to the tune of R60 000.

etolls blacklist sanral gauteng

e-Tag lane at the Carousel Toll Plaza on the N1-south in northern Gauteng, South Africa, 3 May 2015. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/JMK

As reported by Shaun Smillie The Saturday Star, at least 25 other motorists also received default judgments of unpaid e-tolls fees from the South African National Roads Agency (Sanral).

Outa’s Rudie Heyneke told the publication that Sanral legally has a right to blacklist defaulters, but added that it’s unethical. He explained:

“Legally, they have the right to do this. The problem that we have is that it is not ethical. We are in the advanced stages of a test case that is testing the lawfulness of the e-toll scheme.”

Another concern, Heyneke remarks, is that the e-Natis system used to obtain a motorist’s details is not always a reliable source of data. The system is riddled with incorrect addresses, names and vehicle details.

This leads to motorists not being aware or informed when a summons is issued against them. As in the case of the Gauteng resident – he only learned about the judgment when he applied for credit.

So good luck taking out a home loan, applying for store credit or even taking out a new phone contract if you have unpaid e-toll bills in File 13. Don’t deny it; those bills go straight to the dustbin, don’t they?

Outa warns motorist not to ignore summonses and check up on your credit rating as often as possible. Ignoring it will only lead to disastrous consequences for families, and in turn, the province’s economy.

He paints a grim picture: “Three million people use those highways. Of that, let’s say two million are not paying and are issued summons. And let’s say that 30% of them don’t contest this and are issued default judgments. That is 600 000 people with no more credit. It would have a huge impact on the economy. Sanral hasn’t thought this through.”