Sanral’s advertising expenditure shock
Factions opposing e-tolls lashed criticism at the South African National Roads Agency's (Sanral) advertising spending row.
This after Transport Minister Ben Martins revealed in Parliament that the Roads Agency’s spending on advertising had increased 200 percent in the past two years.
Martins was replying to the DA’s Parliamentary questions, stating that Sanral’s advertising expenditure increased from R30.4 million in 2010/11, to R84.5 million in 2011/12, and R87.1 million in 2012/13.
The DA’s Ian Ollis said the figures were a “clear indication” that Sanral had changed its advertising patterns from awareness campaigns to “mass e-toll propaganda”.
“Full-page and half-page advertisements have appeared in most national newspapers, falsely arguing against alternative funding mechanisms for road maintenance and infrastructure, such as a fuel levy,” said Ollis.
He added that the DA would submit follow-up parliamentary questions requesting an exact breakdown of Sanral’s advertising expenditure since the 2010/11 financial year.
The Opposition to Urban Tolling Alliance (Outa) expressed shock at the revelation.
“This must go down as one of the world’s most unsuccessful marketing campaigns, whereby several millions of taxpayers’ rands have been spent with little success in the promotion of their cause,” said Outa Chairperson Wayne Duvenage.
He said Sanral’s advertising budget was enjoyed by a few of South Africa’s top multi-billion rand corporate brands, operating in highly competitive industries, and that the Roads Agency operated as a monopoly – with government policy at its defense.
“There is something seriously wrong with any entity that operates in such a protected environment and spending so much money trying to sell an ill-conceived plan to society, whilst at the same time observing its credibility sink deeper into the mud,” he added.
“Sanral behaves as if it were a business operating in a competitive environment, seeking customers for its products over another. It is, however, a state-owned entity whose role is to construct roads in the most efficient manner, and at the lowest cost to society,” he said.
Duvenage said examples of road tolling failures around the world were plentiful, and that the Alliance hoped the authorities will review their e-toll intentions and consider a more beneficial alternative funding solution, acceptable to road users.
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