Fikile Mbalula e-tolls

Minister Fikile Mbalula Photo: GCIS

Fikile Mbalula extends deadline for e-tolls submissions

Uncertainty over the future of e-tolls is set to continue to rage on after Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula extended the deadline for submissions.

Fikile Mbalula e-tolls

Minister Fikile Mbalula Photo: GCIS

Traffic Minister Fikile Mbalula has extended the deadline for submissions on the future of the controversial e-tolls.

Since inception, the e-tolls have met resistance from the public, political parties and lobby groups, and are once more under the spotlight, as government seeks to find a working solution.

E-toll submissions out on hold

Mbalula has issued out a two-week extension for the deadline, in an effort to allow dialogue with stakeholders.

“The stakeholder engagement process is genuine,” Mbalula said.

“It seeks to balance the views shared in public in a meaningful way so that we can arrive at a solution that’s in the best interest of the economy while ensuring the poor won’t be negatively affected.”

Fikile Mbalula

Uncertainty over the future of unpopular system

Mbalula had earlier expressed confidence in finding a solution to the contentious system. In July, he indicated that there would be clarity on the way forward by the end of August.

“In August, we are closing this matter, we will take it to the president,” Mbalula said.

“After we have spoken to all South Africans and told them about what we think and how we should cooperate, we will then inform our people what we have decided.

“This is not a matter that we should be discussing year after year; we will finish it in August as the president has instructed us.”

Fikile Mbalula

The comments were made not long after Gauteng premier David Makhura expressed his commitment to scrapping e-tolls altogether.

“As the provincial government, to demonstrate how committed we are to ensure that e-tolls are no longer in place, we are prepared to contribute to something ourselves,” Makhura told Talk Radio 702 in July.

“I can’t say how much, but I’m so committed to ensure this matter is resolved, that if you come back to us and say how do you deal with the debt, I’ll go back to the Cabinet of the province to say we must find some money.”

David Makhura

The unpopular system, put in place to finance the maintenance of roads in Gauteng, has failed to generate the revenue it was intended to.

Earlier in the year, it was reported that it had incurred debt exceeding R40 million.