Millions spent to collect etoll debt ‘not excessive’

The more than R4 million spent on legal fees collecting etoll debt from motorists is not excessive, the designated collector has claimed, Centurion Rekord reports.

Electronic Toll Collection (ETC) said R4.6 million was not that much when one considered the large amount of outstanding debts.

The company put this amount at over R40 billion.

Earlier this year Gauteng ANC called for the tolling system to be scrapped.

However, ETC said this would have a devastating effect on the development of the province and the country’s economy.

The company was accused last week of increasing the number of summons it issued to capitalise on legal fees before the end of its contract with Sanral in December.

ETC chief executive officer Coenie Vermaak said the 4 225 summonses had been issued to date were “a last resort for Sanral”.

He said instead regular invoices and statements had been sent to road users to encourage them to settle their bills.

He said that legally, Sanral had fiduciary and legal obligations to collect the outstanding debt from Gauteng motorists who used the tolled highways.

“We want to help and support users to be compliant and to overcome debt obligations so that legal action does not need to be taken.”