Swaziland hikes fees for SA-registered vehicles

But cheaper fuel still attracts motorists JAMES HALL MBABANE – A hike in the road user fee for SA-registered vehicles has not deterred South African commercial truckers and private motorists from travelling to Swaziland to access cheaper fuel available in the kingdom. Last week, government raised the road user tax 1000% for passenger cars from R5 to R50, putting it on par with the airport tax paid by users of Matsapha International Airport. Heavy vehicles are charged R80. “The levy price rise was long, long overdue, and would not have seemed so dramatic if we had raised it incrementally over the years,” said an official at the Ministry of Public Works and Transport. Earlier this year, the cost of travel documents issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs rose from E15 to E80. Vehicles registered in Mozambique pay much higher fees: R450 for “Goods vehicles,” and R100 for passenger cars. The lure of cheaper fuel in Swaziland is enough for some South Africans to swallow the new road user fee. A litre of petrol costs R6.55 in Swaziland. Swaziland-based road transport firms report that they are also required to pay road user fees at Oshoek Border Post, which is primarily used by most traffic en route to Gauteng. The companies have complained to government, which has promised to rectify the problem, but without promising refunds for previous payments.