Great news for Gauteng motorists: E-tolls scrapped
· The South African
Cabinet has approved a plan by the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) to formally close the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP) e-toll system, bringing an end to one of South Africa’s most controversial road funding schemes.
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The decision includes the write-off of outstanding e-toll debt owed by motorists, the resolution of ongoing legal matters, and the closure of all issues related to the historic collection of e-toll fees.
Approved SANRAL’s recommendations
The move follows government’s decision to discontinue the electronic tolling system on Gauteng’s freeway network, which officially came into effect on 12 April 2024.
Speaking on Friday following a Cabinet meeting held on 3 June 2026, Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni said Cabinet had approved SANRAL’s recommendations regarding the winding down of the project.
“Cabinet noted the recommendations by SANRAL to write off debt owed by road users who did not pay, and that National Treasury would service this debt, and that the road users who paid toll fees would not be refunded because this was the law at the time,” Ntshavheni said.
Cabinet also approved the orderly resolution of litigation involving the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), which led public opposition to the e-toll system for more than a decade.
The decision means motorists who refused to pay e-tolls will not be required to settle their outstanding accounts, while those who complied with the system and paid toll fees over the years will not receive refunds.
Widespread resistance
Government maintains that motorists who paid e-tolls did so in accordance with the legal framework that existed at the time.
The GFIP was introduced to help fund major upgrades to Gauteng’s freeway network but faced widespread resistance from road users, civil society organisations and business groups, who argued the system was unaffordable and ineffective.
With Cabinet’s latest approval, government has effectively drawn a line under the e-toll era, while National Treasury assumes responsibility for servicing the remaining debt linked to the project.
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