Sanral no Robin Hood of collections
It has been four months since Sanral launched the E-toll system, and up to date, it has not folded like the Proteas' performance in a major cricket tournament.
E-toll, however, is still with us like the boogieman in the closet.
Despite efforts from Outa and the DA to get the boogieman to take its bags and head preferably to Canada, the purple-eyed monster glares at us with menace on the highways.
Who after all doesn’t cringe when we pass under the gantry, especially for those with an E-tag when you hear the ominous beep sound.
But unlike Robin Hood that presumably “stole” from the rich to give to the poor, E-toll is bleeding all the people of Gauteng dry, nevermind class status or ethnic orientation.
This is no Robin Hood in tight pants, but a boogieman with a collection bag that will make most churches envious.
There has been a lot of resistance from motorists, and some have continued to fight the battle as if they are defending the Alamo to the bitter end.
Indeed, many have held out for a hero to save the day, but no masked mystical figure with a cape has showed up yet to save us for the misery of Sanral.
Recently it was reported that Sarnal was owed over R500-million by Gauteng motorist, with only about 10 per cent (or even less) paying to ride the back of the black serpent.
Yes, it is true, there are those who have chosen to throw in the towel, tired of being harassed and being threatened with law suits and being blacklisted.
What is scary is that despite all the irregularities regarding E-toll statements and the lack of receiving notifications on time, by all accounts, the e-toll system is legal. Sanral has thus ticked all the right boxes.
And this causes a huge problem for the die-hard protesters. By all likelihood, despite protests from motorists, it seems the longer one does not pay Sanral, the nastier the bill.
This is the crux of the matter when it comes to Sanral before Easter. Many motorists are at the moment facing a nightmare of paying an exorbitant sum of money to make Nkandla seem like childs play, even though persecuting “offenders” remains a headache for Sanral.
Therefore, a huge dilemma presents itself – keep on resisting, therefore, facing the possibly of having to settle an ever-growing bill running into the thousands, or hope that the system will eventually collapse.
What is really to blame is Sanral’s lack of proper communication, which has led to anger, frustration and confusion.
Firstly, there was the general impression that the tariffs as advertised on the Sanral’s E-toll boards were the ones charged for the non-registered or the non-E-tag user.
This appears is incorrect. It is for registered users, which means that those who do not have E-tags has to pay a tariff of up to three times the amount as advertised on the boards.
Secondly, there has never been proper communication regarding the discounts that apply when paying according to a certain grace period.
This has led to a situation where once the grace period(s) elapses, then the higher tariff kicks in and this higher tariffs balloons over time.
The fact remains, one will save a lot of money when using the E-tag top-up option (as the discounts immediately kick in) and prevents the ballooning of charges once handed over to the Violation Processing Centre.
Thirdly, what is most sobering, is the fact that the onus ultimately rests upon the motorists to determine what they owe Sanral, as Sanral it seems is not obligated to send out invoices.
Where things also become tricky for the die-hard protesters, is that Sanral uses the E-Natis system for the postal addresses for motorists who are not registered, so if one’s information is incorrect with E-Natis then according to Sanral they are not to be blamed.
As Gollum of the Lord of the Rings trilogy loves to say, it is all tricksy indeed.
To pay or not to pay remains the burning question.
Despite all of this, if one complies or resists, Sanral cannot escape the argument that it remains expensive to drive on the highways even if you pay the capped R450 per month for using an E-tag.
With the cost of living raising almost daily, paying R100 or even R400 extra a month is a lot to cough up.
After all, how can Sanral justify R24 per gantry for someone who does not have an E-tag? That is surely highway robbery to make Robin Hood develop an inferiority complex.
There was, at one time, a lot of debating going on regarding the tariffs, but judging by what has been settled on, it is clear that economic insanity has prevailed.
Who can then blame motorists for turning a blind eye to E-toll. Surely Sanral should have realised that if you lowered the tariff considerably, then more motorists might be willing to pay, even if it then means taking longer to collect the money to pay of the debt.
Sanral also cannot escape the stigma of incompetence if one considers the many teething problems it has experienced, such as the nightmare when visiting a service kiosk when its operating system is simply not functioning that day.
Outa maintains resistance is the key to winning the war, but if the defiance campaign backfires, where will Outa be when the boogieman comes knocking to collect its dues?
