The Gauteng Provincial Government (GPG) plans to install new speed cameras across its major highways.
This was confirmed by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy, who stated that the province’s e-toll gantries will be converted to average speed over distance (ASOD) cameras.
ASOD cameras work differently to the fixed cameras and police radar speed traps that motorists are familiar with.
The other methods position the camera on the side of the road, often in a location where they won’t be easily spotted by approaching cars.
However, apps like Waze and Google Maps allow users to report cameras and traffic police, making it harder for the authorities to catch motorists unaware.
In contrast, ASOD systems are much harder for travellers to avoid.
These systems use two or more fixed cameras at predetermined distances, and are usually installed on poles suspended over the road.
The cameras capture the number plates of vehicles entering and exiting the ASOD zone, letting them record the time for both intervals.
By doing so, the system can calculate the time it took to travel the distance and work out the car’s average speed.
If a car reaches the end point much faster than would be possible by following the speed limit, the ASOD system can determine that the vehicle was speeding.
When this happens, the Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) will issue a fine to the registered owner of the vehicle.
There are only a handful of ASOD systems currently in use in South Africa. They are used on the N1 between Pretoria and Polokwane, the N3 between Johannesburg and Durban, and parts of the N2 in the Western Cape.
This will soon change, as the GPG plans to repurpose its e-toll infrastructure into a new ASOD camera network.
Responding to parliamentary questions, Creecy explained that the South African National Roads Agency (SANRAL) was working with the GPG to convert the gantries.
“SANRAL is working with the GPG to repurpose the e-toll gantries for law enforcement and road safety initiatives, such as measuring average vehicle speed,” she said.
She added that the GPG also plans to introduce high-speed weight-in-motion technology on the gantry network and use existing satellite infrastructure to provide motor vehicle licensing services.
There are 43 e-toll gantries in Gauteng across the N1, N3, N12, and R21, all of which will likely be added to the new system.
E-tolls are dead and buried
The controversial e-toll project was officially shut down in April 2024, following years of pushback from the public and civil groups like the Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA).
The gantries were introduced by SANRAL to help pay for the Gauteng Freeway Improvement Project (GFIP), but citizens saw it as a massive tax overreach, leading to mass boycotts where motorists refused to pay their e-toll bills.
It’s estimated that more than 80% of motorists boycotted the system, eventually leading to the shutdown of the failed tolling scheme.
However, while the gantries were finally turned off in 2024, questions lingered over whether the government would still try to collect the outstanding debts of motorists who didn’t pay.
The GPG previously stated that it would still collect these debts, though groups like OUTA warned that citizens would never pay.
Motorists finally got their answer earlier this month, as Gauteng Premier Panyaza Lesufi announced that the historic GFIP debt would be scrapped.
The decision was made by South Africa’s cabinet, and welcomed by Transport Minister Barbara Creecy and her deputy, Mkhuleko Hlengwa.
The decision includes the close-out of GFIP historical e-toll debt, as well as the resolution of all outstanding litigation matters.
Creecy stated that the closure brings much-needed relief and lessens the financial burden to road users who are currently hard-pressed by high fuel costs.
Following this decision, SANRAL will not pursue the collection of e-toll debts any further, as the funds owed by motorists are being written off.
However, individuals who did pay their e-tolls will not be refunded.
“The no-refund position arises from lawful levies at the time they were paid, that is, before the toll declarations were withdrawn,” it said.
“The write-off of outstanding debt gives effect to the government’s decision to close the GFIP e-toll scheme and provide finality to road users, Sanral and the fiscus.”
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