[May 2013..Dec 2013] The Gauteng E-tolling Thread

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A tale of failing e-tolls: iLIVE

http://www.timeslive.co.za/ilive/2013/09/10/a-tale-of-failing-e-tolls-ilive

So, let’s see, 500 000 have perhaps bought e-tags (can we trust the number?) meaning that at least two million have not.

The two million hit the road without paying. Sanral loads the heavy calibre stuff and fires the bureaucracy at the unsuspecting motorists.

Panic, mayhem! A dreadful, fearsome punishment!

In the first month, two million fines are posted by registered mail at a cost per letter of R40 (postage, envelope, labour, printing, computers etc., say R80 million). No-one pays.

The next month, another two million fines are posted.

The Joburg Post Office starts to collapse, this is 100 000 registered letters every working day, they cannot cope.

They stop accepting mail from Sanral because normal business has ceased.

Lawyers and banks have issued summons against the Post Office for non-performance of an essential service.

Questions are asked in Parliament. Moody’s reduces the Sanral rating to ZZ - or ‘****e’ (four levels below junk).

The head of Sanral commits suicide.

Within a week the fines and summonses cease, no motorist renews his e-tag, the entire system dies.

Months later the gantries are removed and sold for scrap.

OUTA hosts a celebratory braai on a private game farm outside Pretoria, and life continues as before, except that now the taxpayer is saddled with generations of fruitless expenditure paying off unfulfilled contracts and loans.

The ANC government carries on as though nothing has happened, and no-one gets fired or even transferred.

Thus endeth the e-tolling.
 
I like that story. Maybe the knobs at Government or Sanral could take heed and smell the coffee?
 
Yeah, I'd still like to see how their 7 days deadlines are enforceable when all other credit providers have to wait almost 2 months before any action can be taken.
 
They shouldn't scrap the gantries. They should adapt them for average speed prosecution.
 
It's a gigantic f/up whichever way you look at it.

All the collection issues should have been resolved before they put a single workman on the road.
 
daveza said:
It's a gigantic f/up whichever way you look at it.

All the collection issues should have been resolved before they put a single workman on the road.
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Exactly, but unfortunately they don't have any problem with spending the money because it's not their hard earned money. In fact each and everyone of those involved in this f/up of a project has probably pocketed a few million rand or a BMW or three for their performance.
 
Sinbad said:
They shouldn't scrap the gantries. They should adapt them for average speed prosecution.
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Definetly this. As well as they could be used for tracking down cloned number plates/vehicles.
 
SANRAL Accused of Stealing

Although the Gauteng e-toll system is not yet operational, a number of e-tag holders' accounts were recently debited by the SA National Roads Agency (Sanral), in what the state-owned entity says was an error during IT maintenance activity.

While the amounts debited are seemingly marginal, some feel this could have much farther-reaching implications. One e-tag account-holder says Sanral took a double debit or 5c from his account at the end of August, while an associate of his had a similar experience.

"Is Sanral stealing from us? If Sanral debited all 600 000 accounts they claim are registered, that's an amount of R30 000 they stole from us."

Sanral spokesperson Vusi Mona says the agency is aware that a number of debit orders recently took place, but this was due to "an error during the service provider's bank interface maintenance activity" and only 634 account units were affected, as "the bulk of registrations are prepaid accounts".

Mona says the amounts were reversed on the same day they went off (27 August), but a bank account check by two of the e-tag holders affected revealed the amounts were only reversed more than a week later.

See also

One of the e-tag holders, whose account was recently debited by Sanral, says: "I think everybody with an e-tag account should investigate their bank accounts. Let's stop this corrupt system before it is implemented. Trying not to oppose the system, you register your account – and what do they do? They steal from us!"

Creeping costs

Wayne Duvenage, chairperson of the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance, says not only does the recent glitch begin to expose how unworkable the system will be; it also exists as a forewarning of "additional costs" that will inevitably creep in after the system is up and running.

"[Sanral] could just start adding these ‘costs' in, and we will be able to do nothing about it. It is the increases and additional fees that will come in later and could become out of control. And of course they will do it – it happens in municipalities everywhere."

Duvenage says additional costs are likely to be minimal enough to go largely unnoticed, but will represent significant amounts when added up.

E-toll account ease

Mona says registered road users have easy, constant access to their accounts. "[E-toll account-holders] can access their accounts anytime online by using the login details supplied to them during registration."

He says no toll fees are currently being deducted for travelling on Gauteng's highways, but notes that 58 000 account-holders have active accounts, because they make use of their e-tags at the Bakwena toll plazas.

While details Sanral has provided as to the number of e-tag holders to date are sketchy, a recurring round number from the horse's mouth has been 600 000. Mona recently said this number could be more or less broken down into 40% fleet-owned (250 000), and 60% individual (350 000) accounts.

According to SA's electronic National Traffic Information System (eNatis), there were 3 799 750 road users registered in Gauteng, as at 30 June. Sanral has indicated in its calculations that about 2.4 million of these will use the highways every month.
 
Garyvdh said:
One of the e-tag holders, whose account was recently debited by Sanral, says: "I think everybody with an e-tag account should investigate their bank accounts. Let's stop this corrupt system before it is implemented. Trying not to oppose the system, you register your account – and what do they do? They steal from us!"
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Serves you right you yellow bellied idiot. You've already contributed to the implementation of this corrupt system by not opposing it and rolling over.
 
SANRAL defends R3.3Bn in Irregular Spend

Johannesburg - The South African National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) has defended its management of the agency’s finances despite the auditor-general highlighting R3.3 billion in irregular expenditure in its latest financial statements.

This irregular expenditure resulted from Sanral deviating from legislated supply chain management processes in the Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA) and Treasury regulations.

Despite highlighting certain non-compliance issues, the auditor-general declared Sanral’s financial statements for the year to March as fairly presented in all material respects and gave it an unqualified report.

Inge Mulder, Sanral’s chief financial officer, said yesterday that the auditor-general had found that tenders of R2.4bn, which was included in the sum of R3.3bn, had been awarded using a benchmarking instrument to determine the “most realistic lowest acceptable price”.

Mulder said the auditor-general’s report stated that although the intention was within the objectives of the PPPFA, it was not compliant with the letter of the law.

Ian Ollis, the DA’s transport spokesman, said Sanral had repeatedly demonstrated that it viewed itself above the public by forcing e-tolling on Gauteng despite widespread opposition, and it had now demonstrated that it also believed it did not have to adhere to financial management policies and legislation. “Sanral is not above the law and should be held accountable,” he said.

Mulder said the non-compliance was related to certain aspects of the PPPFA and how Sanral had carried out the procurement of a management contractor in support of the development of small, medium and micro enterprises.

She said the deviation from the PPPFA had not been approved by the finance minister, but an application for exemption had been submitted for the minister’s consideration.

Mulder stressed that the auditor-general had not found the form of procurement used to be “corrupt in any way whatsoever”, and a proper examination of the system would show that it also discouraged collusive practices.

She added that the system of procurement had been used by Sanral for the past 11 years and only this year had the auditor-general found fault with it.

Mulder also stressed that the figures contained in Sanral’s financial statements would not have differed from those reported had the non-compliance factor been absent.

“This is implicit in the auditor-general’s favourable report, which in addition pointed out that the delay in the implementation of the high-profile Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project had not impacted negatively on Sanral’s going concern status,” she said.

However, Ollis said the DA would request that portfolio committee chairwoman Ruth Bhengu summon Sanral’s chairwoman Tembakazi Mnyaka and chief executive Nazir Alli, as well as Transport Minister Dipuo Peters, to Parliament to explain the lack of financial and legal compliance.

“Any wrongdoing must be punished. Good governance requires every step in awarding every contract to follow the letter of the law. Sanral should be no exception,” he said.

Vusi Mona, a Sanral spokesman, said no action was warranted against any official or employee at Sanral because no corruption or fraudulent activity had occurred.

“Furthermore, Sanral can account for the money. All Sanral has to do is to take careful note of the auditor-general’s non-compliance observations and ensure that in future this does not recur,” he said. - Business Report

http://www.iol.co.za/business/compa...3bn-in-irregular-spend-1.1576983#.UjMNsD8j65I
 
E-tolling is Government Policy and WILL be implemented: SANRAL

E-tolling is an established part of the African National Congress’ (ANC) policy for South Africa and will be implemented, according to the South African National Roads Agency Limited (SANRAL).

HumanIPO reported last week Freedom Front Plus (FFP) had claimed a “huge victory” for road users in Gauteng as President Jacob Zuma is yet to sign the e-tolling bill, which has been at the centre of debate in South Africa, with SANRAL trading words with the Democratic Alliance (DA) and the Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (OUTA).

SANRAL spokesperson Vusi Mona told HumanIPO the state-owned company had been taken aback by suggestions it was imposing policies that had not been signed off by policymakers.

“Tolling is government policy, it is contained in the 1996 white paper on transport policy,” he said. “It is based on consultations with various stakeholders, it is not a secret. It is not the first tolling process in South Africa.”

Software freedom founder and activist Richard Stallman last week joined the opposition to e-tolling, saying it posed a threat to people’s privacy.

Mona said South Africans had a right to oppose the policy, but that people should educate themselves on the subject and make informed arguments.

“South Africa is a constitutional democracy and we respect the views of civil society, I would not want to dismiss them,” he said. “But it does help to criticise from an informed position. What is disappointing is that what is coming across so far is playing to the political gallery. You cannot afford to do that with the country’s infrastructure.”

The DA has been critical of the amount of money spent by SANRAL on marketing for e-tolling, but Mona said such a campaign was necessary to educate people on the necessity for e-tolling, a concept the DA should be able to understand.

“The DA doesn’t surprise us, they are doing what a political party will do. These are people who understand that any new project needs marketing,” he said, using the DA’s ‘Know your DA’ campaign as an example. “I don’t think they are so stupid as to be unable to grasp that concept.”

He said SANRAL would have been criticised had it not made the effort to educate the public on e-tolling, which was an important part of the implementation process.

“Now anybody who fails to get a grasp of that in my opinion is beyond redemption,” he said.

“If you were to ask any South African today if they want to pay tax, you can guess what the answer will be.

“We have come to the conclusion we need this sort of thing. When you implemented a project you do a survey to find the reception. We looked at the point of departure and said this is where we currently are, we need to get to that point.

“We are trying to get to 90 per cent compliance.”

Mona said he was sure South Africans would come to understand and accept e-tolling.

“I am a South African and I come from a very difficult history. This is nothing compared to that. We come from a history where we have had to deal with a lot of difficulties. We have never failed.”

http://www.humanipo.com/news/31949/e-tolling-is-government-policy-and-will-be-implemented-sanral/
 
The Arrogance of these thieving scumbags is astounding!

“We are trying to get to 90 per cent compliance.”
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Good luck with that... it's more like 90% non-compliance.
 
Yeah, as much as I despise them, the financial irregularities bit was a stretch...
 
“We have come to the conclusion we need this sort of thing. When you implemented a project you do a survey to find the reception. We looked at the point of departure and said this is where we currently are, we need to get to that point.
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HUH??? :confused:
 
Vusi Mona SANRAL sounds more like an ANC spokesperson every day. Calling other parties stupid etc is extremely unprofessional, and just shows that this person doesn't belong in such an important position. It comes straight from the ANC's play book. If you can't beat the argument, attack the person directly.
 
Vusi Mona is an ANC comrade, through and through. He's the ex-deputy-CEO of government's GCIS. He effectively ran government's propaganda machine (read ANC's propaganda machine)...
 
“If you were to ask any South African today if they want to pay tax, you can guess what the answer will be."

But why? Is the government not being awesome with the fiscus, spending it for the people? Nope.. they spend it lavishly on themselves. why would anyone want to pay taxes when this happens daily. It brings about an image that the only reason we can't pay for our roads from taxes is that the money is spent on on other things which it shouldn't. I'm willing to bet that if there was no corruption and misappropriation of funds, tax payers in Sa would have accepted the eToll scenario(and im sure it would have been cheaper too)
 
krycor said:
“If you were to ask any South African today if they want to pay tax, you can guess what the answer will be."

But why? Is the government not being awesome with the fiscus, spending it for the people? Nope.. they spend it lavishly on themselves. why would anyone want to pay taxes when this happens daily. It brings about an image that the only reason we can't pay for our roads from taxes is that the money is spent on on other things which it shouldn't. I'm willing to bet that if there was no corruption and misappropriation of funds, tax payers in Sa would have accepted the eToll scenario(and im sure it would have been cheaper too)
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It would have been completely unnecessary
 
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