Drivers can expect to pay 3.39% more when using South African toll roads from 1 March 2021.
Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula approved the increase in toll tariffs following the South African National Roads Agency’s (Sanral) proposal.
Sanral says the increase in tariffs is calculated based on the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) .
Sanral’s General Manager for Communications Vusi Mona says, “The toll tariff amounts are adjusted by the annual Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation rate and therefore remain the same in real terms and are effectively not increased above the base date toll tariff from when the toll was initially implemented.”
“For the calculation of the March 2021 toll tariffs, the average of the November 2019 to October 2020 monthly year-on-year CPI was obtained from Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) and is calculated to be 3.39 percent,” says Mona.
The toll tariff adjustments were gazetted on 11 February 2021.
Incorrect information: 3.39% not 5%
On Sunday, Sanral incorrectly stated they would be increasing toll tariffs by 5%.
“We incorrectly stated in a media release yesterday (Sunday) that the increase would be 5 percent and apologise to the public and our stakeholders for any inconvenience caused. The correct figure is 3.39 percent, not 5 percent as stated yesterday. However, the table of new toll fees issued yesterday is correct and stands as published,” adds Mona.
Fuel Price hike
Drivers can also expect the price of fuel to increase in March 2021 as the price of oil increases internationally.
In January 2021, the Automobile Association (AA) warned of sharp rises in fuel in SA as the economy continues to struggle.
Automobile Association’s Layton Beard said the Association expects petrol to increase by 56 cents a litre, diesel by 47 cents and illuminating paraffin by 41 cents.
International product prices shot up by about 8% in the first two weeks of February. If oil continues in this trajectory South Africa’s fuel price might edge back into record territory in the medium term and fuel users might become vulnerable to economic shocks which might weaken the rand,” says Beard.
Listen to the interview with Sanral’s general manager for communications, Vusi Mona:
Additional reporting by Amina Accram.
