Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi has confirmed that the controversial e-tolls in the province will officially begin to be switched off and delinked as soon as next month.
The announcement was made during his State of the Province Address (SOPA), where he acknowledged the widespread rejection of e-tolls by the people of Gauteng.
Lesufi says, “E-tolls were a system that was introduced to our province by the national government in a bid to improve our roads. However, we have reached a point where we all accept that the people of Gauteng have rejected e-tolls.”
Despite the initial announcement to scrap the system made in 2022, the decommissioning process faced delays due to a lack of agreement with the National Treasury.
Gauteng Premier outlines achievements and plans in SOPA:
Lesufi says that Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana will provide further details on the e-tolls during his Budget Speech on Wednesday.
“All of us have reached an agreement that by the 31st of March this year, the formal process to switch off and delink e-tolls will begin, and e-tolls will be history. The Minister of Finance will elaborate on this subject.”
Godongwana had previously declared the decision to scrap e-tolls during his mid-term budget, outlining that the national government would assume 70% of the debt, with the remaining 30% left for the provincial government.
The move is expected to bring relief to Gauteng residents who have long opposed the e-tolling system.
State of the Province Address – Gauteng
