Mbalula says finance minister to make e-tolls announcement in February

JOHANNESBURG - Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula claims that an announcement on the fate of the country’s failed user-pay highway system in Gauteng, known as e-tolls, will be made by the Finance Minister during February’s budget speech.

Motorists have mostly boycotted the system, leading to the SA National Roads Agency’s (Sanral)'s classification as a going concern.

Mbalula made the claim on Friday while discussing the state of South Africa’s transport system following major problems in the rail sector.

"The announcement that will be made in the February budget will be a Cabinet decision by the minister of finance. So there'll be delays with regard to this and delays are informed partly because the decision we've got to make have got financial implications and those financial implications, we need to respond to."

The African National Congress (ANC) in Gauteng has identified the indecision over e-tolls as one of the issues that caused voters to shun the party during this month's local government elections.