The facts about Gauteng’s toll roads, Saab and Kapsch TrafficCom

Following recent media reports alleging a link between SA National Roads Agency Limited (Sanral) and Austrian e-tolling operators Kapsch, FTW received the following ‘fact sheet’ from Erik Magni, spokesman and acting press officer of Saab in Stockholm. • Saab does not have any interest whatsoever in Kapsch TrafficCom and never has had • Saab has no role in South Africa’s e-tolling or Gauteng freeway improvement programme • Sanip, the jointly owned company responsible for offset on the Gripen, has no role in South Africa’s e-tolling or Gauteng freeway improvement project • Saab sold its traffic management unit, Combitech Traffic Management, to Kapsch in January 2000 • The contract to supply 26 Gripen fighters to South Africa only came into effect in April 2000 • Sanip was precluded by dti regulations from any participation in infrastructure projects and indeed was not involved in any such projects • Any attempt to link Kapsch, the Gauteng e-tolling project, or the freeway improvement project to Saab has no basis in fact • This includes attempts to create such a link by citing unattributed “Australian newspaper reports” • Any reporter making the effort to ask Saab about its relationship to Gauteng’s etolling project before writing would have been able to discover these facts. A copy has also been sent to the Public Protector’s office.