E-toll non-payment and the strain it places on the purse strings of the South African National Road Agency Limited (Sanral) will not affect the rollout of certain infrastructural projects such as the building of an additional bridge on South Africa’s border with Zimbabwe. The main reason being that, despite reports to the contrary, Sanral isn’t planning to build another bridge at Beitbridge. Recent reports have indicated that the low level of revenue generated by the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project – only 30% of gantry users pay their fares – has deprived Sanral of the ability to roll out certain projects. Setting the record straight, Sanral spokesperson Vusi Mona told FTW that progress and development south of the border was well on track and that SA would not fall behind a $200m upgrade to Zim’s side of the border. Recent news that Sanral’s revenue stream is trickling in at R1.1 trillion annually compared to the R2.5 trillion required, created the impression that SA could fall short of capacity expectations at Beitbridge. But this was not the case, said Mona. He said that SA’s side of the bridge, which had been completed in 1994 and tolled by a concessionaire for both countries, would soon undergo a formal Sanral declaration process. It means that “one half of the bridge as well as the roads within the border post have been declared as a national road”. He added that there were no plans for another bridge as erroneously stated in a leading Sunday paper a fortnight ago “since the existing New Limpopo Bridge has sufficient capacity”. Commenting on South Africa’s ability to run its side of the border apace with the north once Zim has completed infrastructural improvements to its customs facilities at Beitbridge, Mona said the Border Management Authority (BMA) was well prepared to take over now that the concession contract had ended. “The entire border post will fall under the jurisdiction of the BMA once it has been enacted in parliament and includes shortmedium-, and long-term plans for Beitbridge border post. “The long–term plan is to establish a One Stop Border Post (OSBP) that involves stringent legal requirements which means that both countries must agree to the full terms and design the border post to best facilitate this OSBP.”
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The long–term plan is to establish a One Stop Border Post (OSBP) that involves stringent legal requirements. – Vusi Mona
