The e-toll system in South Africa’s Gauteng province, which was initially supposed to collect revenue from motorists, could be scrapped to serve a new purpose. According to reports, it could be used to collect data on the average speed of cars in the area.
In June, Fikile Mbalula, the Minister of Transport, said that the government would be announcing the details of the e-tolling system in October. He also noted that negotiations with President Cyril Ramaphosa and Finance Minister Nhlanhla Godogwana were ongoing.
The controversial e-toll system was introduced in 2013 in Johannesburg and Tshwane, and many residents have called for its removal. They claimed that it is a form of extortion and that it is forcing them to pay for something that they don’t want. In August, Sanral, the company that operates the system, released a tender for another proposal that would allow it to measure the average speed of vehicles passing through.
