E-Tolling system is crazy

Madam – How crazy can the Sanral “e’ tolling system still get?

During the week I got a call from a lady who is a member of my church, asking me to come and assist her. Someone sent her a text message saying that she owed money to them, and that non payment could lead to legal action.

I must, at the outset, say that this lady suffers from a psychiatric condition for which she is being treated, and, she must, under no circumstances be put under undue mental stress. For any person, being accused falsely of owing money to anyone is a stressful experience.

Arriving at her residence, she showed me a text message on her cell phone, which read: “Outstanding payment for e-toll V P C Tax invoice may result in legal action being taken against you”, and then follows a reference number and a number to call. There is no car registration number, no date of the alleged offence or any other particulars. You just have to believe what they say, and cough up, otherwise, you have to waste time and

money calling the call centre and try to explain to some dumb person that you do not owe anything to them. This lady does not even own a car, and never has owned one, and never will, unless some person presents her with one.

Somewhere there must be a motor vehicle registration number coupled to her name?

It is an undisputable fact that there are many vehicles on our roads with cloned registration numbers.

A number of years ago, a farmer in the Free State got a notification through the post. One of his vehicles went through a speed trap on some Gauteng high way at 140 kmh in a 120 kmh zone. The registration number belonged to his vintage 1947 tractor, which might do 40 kmh down hill at full throttle.

I got a reminder from this municipality some years ago that I did not pay my parking fine for parking in the OK parking area on a Saturday morning at 11.05am. I went to see them, and when I disputed the fact, I was advised to go to court and state my case there.

Now, as a Bible believing Christian, I keep to the Sabbath according to the Commandment, and I told the official that if I had to defend the matter, I was going to call my Pastor and head elder as witnesses that at that time and on that day, I was in church.

The official went and spoke to someone, perhaps of a higher rank, came back and told me that the matter was withdrawn.

Somewhere in this province was another vehicle with my registration number.

As far as the contact details are concerned. I am sure that somebody somewhere is making money, selling contact details to organisations.

Take for instance all the junk mail one receives in the post. Where do the junk sales organisations get all the names and addresses? If you look on your post box renewal notices, you are asked if the postal services may give your participants to third parties, yes or no, with a block to tic. I tic NO

every time, but I still get junk mail by the post box full.

And then all the junk text messages one gets!! Somewhere someone is selling cell phone contact details.

With all the “congratulations, your cell number has won R????, I can make Bill Gates very jealous! I win in the Coca Cola promotion, Fifa promotion, Pepsi Cola Promotion, the Rica Promotion etc etc etc. The latest was from the Omo Promotion! Where do they get my number I wonder?

Lourens