South African news is buzzing with a story that has been bubbling under, particularly in the mineral-rich province of Gauteng, for quite a while now. An announcement was made Wednesday by the country’s deputy president Cyril Ramaphosa, that there would a new dispensation on the controversial highway management system, known simply as E-tolls. Courtesy of biznews.com, here are the key elements of the new E-tolls structure:

  • Public transport remains exempted. This applies to buses and taxis with operating permits.
  • A single, reduced tariff will apply to all motorists. As an example, the current standard tariff of 58c per kilometre for light motor vehicles will be reduced to 30c per kilometre. This single tariff will apply to all motorists within a vehicle class whether they have an e-tag or not.
  • The monthly cap has been dramatically reduced. Users of light motor vehicles will not pay more than R225 a month. This is half the current monthly cap of R450 a month. Revised caps will also be introduced for other vehicle classes.
  • There will be no charge for infrequent users who make less than 30 gantry passes a year. If a user exceeds 30 gantry passes in a 12-month period, they will be liable for the usual charges.
  • E-toll fees that are currently outstanding will be discounted by 60%. Users will have six months within which to settle their debts dating back to December 2013 at the discounted tariff. This does not disadvantage users who have been paying e-tolls all along.
  • There will be a monthly cap on the penalty for accounts in arrears. All users who do not pay tolls within the required 30 days will be obliged to pay double the toll tariff. To protect users from incurring high amounts of debt, this will be capped. In the case of light motor vehicles, for example, the monthly cap for accounts in arrears will be R450.
  • Settlement of e-toll fees will be linked to motor vehicle licence renewal. To further simplify the process and ensure better integration of road management systems, motorists will need to settle any outstanding e-toll fees before vehicle licence discs are issued.
  • More payment options and a simplified administration system are being introduced. Alongside a substantial decrease in the cost to users, the new dispensation will integrate existing information systems to improve ease of use, accuracy of information and coordination between different agencies. This will make it easier for vehicle owners to pay their toll fees at different points. These will include SANRAL kiosks, Post Offices, provincial licensing offices, retailers, vehicle dealerships and online.

As someone who may not be affected by this, either as someone nowhere near Gauteng or living in another part of Africa, you may be asking yourself why this should be of concern to you. Believe it or not, it does.

Africa has, for a long time, suffered the scourge of leaders who do not listen to the voices of their people. When it comes to the issue of e-tolls, in various ways, the people of Gauteng have demonstrated their disapproval of the plan and yet their elected leaders keep pushing ahead with it. What sounds like a wonderful plan outlined by the Deputy President, has been dismissed by the opposition as yet another sign that the government will not heed the electorate’s concerns.

Is this not exactly what we have seen all around our continent for a long time? It’s what we saw in Burkina Faso at the end of 2014 with Blaise Compaore seeking to change the constitution in order to be be able to stand for re-election, and it is what we are seeing right now with Pierre Nkurunziza in Burundi.

You think e-tolls is a small thing and doesn’t affect you? Think again. It’s all part of the same pattern.

Africa, when will we learn?