Over a decade in the making...e-tolls finally scrapped in Gauteng

Motorists in Gauteng will be breathing a collective sigh of relief after Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi confirmed "we are now ready to start a new life without e-tolls in Gauteng". This clarity comes in the wake of pronouncements made by Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana in his mid-term budget policy statement. Godongwana announced National Treasury will on board 70% of SANRAL's debt while the Gauteng provincial government will cover the remaining 30%. Godongwana said "...the costs of maintaining the 201 kilometres and associated interchanges of the roads and any additional investment in road will be funded through either the existing electronic toll infrastructure or new toll plazas, or any other revenue source within their area of responsibility." But any confusion over whether future funding models would include e-tolling has been put to bed by Lesufi. BizNews correspondent Michael Appel spoke to Automobile Association spokesperson Layton Beard in the wake of the announcement. Meanwhile, Wayne Duvenage from the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse - OUTA - says this is the culmination of the biggest civil disobedience campaign in the country's democratic history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices